Blood Transfusion After Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty: National Trends and Perioperative Outcomes

The purpose of this study was to quantify the changes in transfusion rates, both allogeneic blood transfusion (ALBT) and autogenic blood transfusion (ATBT) on a national scale, and determine patient factors associated with transfusions. The National Hospital Discharge Survey was evaluated between 2001 and 2010 for primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients and categorized on the basis of transfusion necessity, type, and comorbidity burden. A logistic regression comparison of ALBT, ATBT, and nontransfused patients was performed with respect to patient demographics and in-hospital complications. The proportion of patients requiring any transfusion decreased from an average rate of 22.8% between 2001 and 2005 to 21.2% between 2006 and 2010 (p = .01). ATBT rates decreased (r = –.99) from 11.0% in 2001 to 2.8% in 2010. ALBT rates increased (r = .66) from 14% in 2001 to 16.6% in 2010. The number of patients requiring a blood transfusion after THA decreased in the United States with a trend shifting from ATBT to ALBT. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 26(4):216–222,
2017) Key words: allogeneic transfusion, autologous transfusion, THA, total hip arthroplasty, transfusion