Outcome of Uncrossmatched Red Blood Cells Transfusion: A Retrospective Study at the University Hospital, Kelantan, Malaysia

ABSTRACT

Abstract@#Introduction: The practice of uncrossmatched red blood cells (URBC) transfusion has been accepted as part of resuscitation efforts in Emergency Departments (ED), especially in the case of hypovolemic shock secondary to blood loss. This study aimed to evaluate the outcome of patients who received URBC during the resuscitation process. Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study among patients who received at least one unit of URBC in the ED at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia between March 1, 2016 and December 31, 2017. The outcome of patients who received URBC were analysed descriptively and presented as numbers and percentages. Simple log regression was used to analyse the association between the number of URBC given and the outcome of the patients. Results: A total of 106 patients were involved in this study, with 63 (59.4%) of them were male and 43 (40.6%) were female. The mean age of these patients was 41.58 years old. For the outcome, 25 patients (23.6%) had an activation of massive transfusion protocol (MTP), 37 patients (34.9%) received emergency surgical procedure, and 28 patients (26.4%) died during hospitalisation. The mean length of hospital stay was 10.65 days (SD 17.4). Numbers of URBC received have a statistically significant association with mortality status (p = 0.015) and activation of MTP (p = 0.02), but no significant association with the need for emergency procedure (p = 0.469). Conclusion: The numbers of URBC transfused can be associated with mortality and the activation of MTP.