Advances in cardiae surgical transfusion practices during the 1990s in a Finnish university hospital

Background and Objectives Recent transfusion practices in coronary artery b ypass (CABG) operations in a Finnish university hospital were evaluated, ut ilizing the data stored automatically in hospital registers. Materials, and Methods The register-based transfusion data on all 2363 CABG patients operated on during a 2.5-year period, from 1997 to 1999, were ana lysed and compared with a review of surgical transfusion practices in Finla nd from 1993 to 1994. Results The rate of allogeneic transfusion showed a decrease from 76% in 19 93-94 to 48% in the time-period January to June 1999, and the mean number o f donor exposures decreased from 3.3 to 2.0 units per patient. The mean blo od product purchase costs per patient almost halved from 1993-94 to 1997-99 . Conclusion Hospital registers provide a good means for prompt evaluation an d reporting of large-scale transfusion data. Since 1993, transfusion rates and costs in CABG operations have decreased markedly. Further development o f transfusion registers is, warranted.