A SURVEY OF BLOOD UTILIZATION IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN A GERMANUNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

There are no detailed data on blood use with regard to diagnoses of re cipients during infancy, childhood and adolescence. Available informat ion on this issue is incomplete and no longer current. We conducted a survey of blood component use in children and adolescents in an acute- care university hospital in the greater area of Nuremberg between June 1994 and September 1996. Packed red blood cells (RBCs), fresh-frozen plasmas (FFPs) and platelet (PLT) components were evaluated for the re cipients discharge diagnoses. Source study files were extracted from t he hospital transfusion service and the medical records department. Tr ansfused units were listed by broad diagnostic categories and leading diagnostic groups formed from principal diagnoses of the recipients ac cording to the International Classification of Diseases, 9th edn (ICD- 9). 34.3% of 2869 RBC cell units, 35.0% of 1095 FFP units and 5.0% of 1028 PLT components were used in patients with congenital diseases, ma inly cardiac defects. The disease category neoplastic diseases was nex t most frequently associated with blood transfusion diagnosed in recip ients of 23.9% of all RBCs, 15.6% of all FFP units and in 66.4% of all PLT units. Malignant diseases and benign haematological diseases (dia gnostic categories II and IV) accounted for 68.9% of all costs of bloo d component transfusion. These findings demonstrate the increased impo rtance of platelet transfusion for the organization of local and regio nal blood donation programmes and for cost analysis exercises. The stu dy shows that detailed information on local blood use may be obtained quickly using available data collections of transfusion services and m edical record departments.