Introduction
Red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are common in clinical practice. In
the UK, the NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) health authority rely on a
regular supply of voluntary contributions of whole-blood and apheresis
donors to meet demand and have substantial direct and indirect costs to
the health service and economy, respectively.1Furthermore there are risks associated with transfusion with an
estimated risk of death of 1 in 117,000 components and serious harm of 1
in 21,000.2 Between 1999 and 2017 there has been a
34% reduction in RBC demand through the implementation of guidelines
and Patient Blood Management initiatives.3 However, it
is expected that the UK will need to increase the availability of blood
components and utilize strategies to ensure these are used effectively,
efficiently and safely to meet the growing demands of an ageing
population.4
In a 2014 national survey, 27% of total RBC transfusions in England and
North Wales were for surgical indications.5 Currently,
there is limited literature on RBC transfusions in Otolaryngology
otherwise known as Ear, Nose and Throat surgery (ENT). The available
literature focuses on transfusions in Head and Neck cancer (HNC)
surgery.6–8 We performed a 5-year retrospective
analysis of RBC transfusions in a large tertiary ENT, Head and Neck
centre. The aims were to evaluate ENT transfusion practice in a tertiary
centre in accordance with current guidelines and literature, identify
and analyse “outlier” transfusion practice and suggest how local ENT
transfusion practice can be improved to maintain high standards of
patient care and safety as well as ensure efficiency to meet the demands
on blood components.