Are perioperative allogeneic blood transfusions associated with 90-days infection after operative treatment for bone metastases?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We assessed whether allogeneic blood transfusions were associated with infection-within 90 days-after surgery for bone metastatic disease. Furthermore, we assessed other risk factors associated with infection.

METHODS: We included 1,266 patients surgically treated for a bone metastasis at two hospitals between 2002 and 2013. Blood transfusions within 7 days before and after surgery were considered perioperative.

RESULTS: We found no independent association between exposure to blood transfusion and infection (odds ratio [OR] 1.02, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.76-1.37, P = 0.889), nor a dose-response relationship (OR 1.02, 95%CI: 0.98-1.07, P = 0.245). Older age (OR 1.01, 95%CI: 1.00-1.02, P = 0.035), a higher modified Charlson comorbidity index (OR 1.13, 95%CI: 1.05-1.22, P = 0.002), surgery to the axial skeleton (OR 1.89, 95%CI: 1.42-2.51, P < 0.001), and previous radiotherapy (OR 1.45, 95%CI 1.07-1.96, P = 0.015) were independently associated with infection.

CONCLUSIONS: There was no association between allogeneic blood transfusion and infection. We found other risk factors that should be taken into consideration when deciding to operate. J. Surg. Oncol. 2016;114:997-1003. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.