TRANSFUSION PRACTICES IN PRIMARY TOTAL JOINT REPLACEMENTS IN FINLAND

Background and Objectives: A multicenter survey was carried out in 11 Finnish hospitals to determine the prevailing transfusion practices in orthopedic surgery. Materials and Methods: The records of 1,161 patie nts who had undergone primary total hip (THR) or knee replacement (TKR ) were reviewed. Results: Allogeneic red cells (RBC) were administered to 92% of the THR patients and to 84% of the patients undergoing TKR. Significant interhospital variation in RBC transfusion, from 2.4 to 4 .1 units per patient in THR and from 1.8 to 2.8 units in TKR, was dete cted after adjustment for clinical and laboratory findings. Conclusion : The use of RBCs in orthopedic surgery was generous compared with rep orts from other European countries and the US. Each hospital's individ ual transfusion policy seemed to be a strong determinant of allogeneic blood use.