Transfusion
-
Data on the independent association between perioperative allogeneic blood transfusion (ABT) and postoperative length of stay at the hospital or in the intensive care unit (ICU) are sparse. ⋯ Allogeneic blood transfusion was independently associated with longer postoperative stays in the hospital or the ICU, but the observed independent association is perhaps too small to be clinically relevant. This independent association may be due to a relationship between ABT and a higher incidence of septic complications of surgery, or it may reflect the function of blood transfusion as a surrogate marker for severity of illness.