Perioperative medicine & outcomes
Association Between Perioperative Allogeneic Red Blood Cell Transfusion and Venous Thromboembolism After Major Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors' conclusion
After adjustment for confounders, perioperative RBC transfusion was not associated with an increased risk of postoperative VTE, whereas FFP transfusion showed a significant association with VTE.
Study context
- Population
- Patients undergoing major surgery, 2018–2022, university-affiliated referral hospital, Beijing, ChinaVenous thromboembolism (VTE) in 905 (1.1%)
- Participants
- 83,478 patients
- Exposure
- Perioperative allogeneic red blood cell (RBC) transfusion vs no RBC transfusion
- RBC transfusionn = 8,372
- Outcome
- Postoperative in-hospital VTE (venous ultrasound or CT pulmonary angiography)
Methodological detailssingle-centre, propensity score overlap weighting, multivariable logistic regression
- Single-centre
- Propensity score overlap weighting
- Multivariable logistic regression
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
RBC transfusion
10.0%
8372
RBC transfusion vs No RBC transfusionOdds ratio (95% CI)P value
Unadjusted
5.09(4.43–5.84)
P < 0.001Adjusted, logistic regression
1.02(0.78–1.33)
P = 0.893Propensity score overlap weighting
1.02(0.77–1.35)
P = 0.874Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | OR (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| VTE with FFP transfusionFFP transfusion vs No FFP transfusion | 1.33 (1.10–1.62) | P = 0.004 | |
| 0.512Odds ratio (log scale) |
- VTE with fresh frozen plasma (FFP) transfusion: 75.9% of RBC-transfused patients also received FFP
RBC transfusion effect on VTE by FFP transfusion (subgroup)
- Not modified by FFP transfusion; nonsignificant in either subgroup
- P for interaction = .612
Original publication
Association Between Perioperative Allogeneic Red Blood Cell Transfusion and Venous Thromboembolism After Major Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Anesth Analg. Published 25 November 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →