Blood transfusion in obstetric practice: our experience

ABSTRACT

To evaluate the transfusion experience during the year 2004 with regards to factors namely, clinical predictors of transfusion, time course of transfusion in relation to delivery time, in order to determine were we stand among international standard. A retrospective hospital based study was conducted where all patients who need blood transfusion during the year 2004 at the Obstetric unit of King Abdulaziz University Hospital Jeddah were evaluated compared to the total number of deliveries. The hospital record of 80 patients who received blood transfusion were reviewed retrospectively and the circumstances of transfusion for these patients were documented. A total of 80 patients received blood transfusion over one-year period of time, during which there were 3790 deliveries which constituted 2.1% of all obstetric admissions. Of those 80 patients who received transfusion, 44 [55%] were delivered by cesarean section. 33 patients [40%] of all transfused patients received their transfusion either antepartum or pre-operative period. The study highlights the high incidence of patients who need blood transfusion [2.1%]. Evaluation of time transfusion in the study patients and time shows more than 40% need their transfusion before either spontaneous or surgical delivery; reflect poor hemoglobin and nutritional status as well as chronic anemia and probably poor compliance with iron intake