Perioperative medicine & outcomes
Outcomes of Nontransfusable and Transfusable Patients After Major Noncardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors' conclusion
Our primary and secondary analyses demonstrate addressing anemia and minimizing or avoiding transfusion is associated with improved outcomes.
Study context
- Population
- Adult major noncardiac surgical admissions to 2 German hospitals (HELIOS Klinikum Gotha and Erfurt), 2008–2020
- Participants
- 25,979 admissions
- Exposure
- Transfusion-free blood management (nontransfusable) vs transfusable patients; secondarily patient blood management (PBM) vs no PBM among transfusable patients
- Outcome
- Outcomes of nontransfusable (transfusion-free) vs transfusable adults undergoing major surgery
Methodological detailspropensity score methods, multivariable regression, 2 hospitals
- Propensity score methods
- Multivariable regression
- 2 hospitals
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Outcomes, transfusion-free vs transfusable (propensity-adjusted)
Transfusion-free vs TransfusableEstimate (95% CI)P value
Mortality
OR 0.33(0.26–0.42)
P < 0.001Renal complications
OR 0.40(0.34–0.48)
P < 0.001Respiratory complications
OR 0.43(0.37–0.49)
P < 0.001Readmissions
OR 0.54(0.48–0.60)
P < 0.001Hospital LOS (shorter)
RR 0.91(0.90–0.93)
P < 0.001Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Estimate | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PBM vs no PBM (transfusable patients)PBM vs No PBM · mortality | OR 0.79 (95% CI 0.66–0.95) | P = 0.012 | |
| PBM vs no PBM (transfusable patients)PBM vs No PBM · surgical site complications | OR 0.62 (95% CI 0.57–0.69) | P < 0.001 | |
| PBM vs no PBM (transfusable patients)PBM vs No PBM · renal complications | OR 0.76 (95% CI 0.65–0.88) | P < 0.001 | |
| PBM vs no PBM (transfusable patients)PBM vs No PBM · respiratory complications | OR 0.68 (95% CI 0.60–0.78) | P < 0.001 | |
| PBM vs no PBM (transfusable patients)PBM vs No PBM · hospital LOS (shorter) | RR 0.86 (95% CI 0.85–0.87) | P < 0.001 | |
| PBM vs no PBM (transfusable patients)PBM vs No PBM · readmissions (higher) | OR 1.28 (95% CI 1.18–1.40) | P < 0.001 | |
| 0.512Ratio (log scale) |
RBC transfusion, units per patient, estimated blood loss (PBM vs no PBM)
- Lower in the PBM group vs no PBM
Safety
| Outcome | Transfusion-free | Transfusable | PBM | No PBM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMI | 0 events | 0.3% | — not stated in the abstract | — not stated in the abstract |
| Transfusion complicationsNone coded | — not stated in the abstract | — not stated in the abstract | 0 events | 0 events |
— not stated in the abstract
Original publication
Outcomes of Nontransfusable and Transfusable Patients After Major Noncardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Anesth Analg. Published 29 August 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →