Association between perioperative red blood cell transfusions and postoperative venous thromboembolism: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

BackgroundWhether perioperative red blood cell transfusions increases the risk of postoperative venous thromboembolism is controversial and uncertain.We aims to explore the relationship between perioperative red blood cell transfusions and the risk of postoperative venous thromboembolism by conducting a meta-analysis. ObjectiveTo conduct a meta-analysis to systematically evaluate the relationship between perioperative red blood cell transfusions and the risk of postoperative venous thromboembolism. MethodsPubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of science databases were searched to identify studies examining the relationship between perioperative red blood cell transfusions and the risk of postoperative venous thromboembolism. The databases were searched from establishment to August 2023.Two researchers independently screened literature and extracted data according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Newcastle-ottawa Scale (NOS) was used for quality assessment. Meta-analysis of data was performed using RevMan 5.4 software. ResultsA total of 15 studies involving 1,880,990 patients were included in this study.Meta-analysis showed that perioperative red blood cell transfusions increased the risk of postoperative venous thromboembolism [OR = 1.61, 95%CI (1.37, 1.89), P < 0.001]. Subgroup analyses showed that the transfusion dose,transfusion timing,study population and follow-up time were closely related to the risk of postoperative venous thromboembolism. ConclusionsIn summary, this meta-analysis demonstrated a significant positive association between perioperative red blood cell transfusions and postoperative venous thromboembolism.Healthcare professionals should pay attention to the influence of blood transfusions on postoperative venous thromboembolism, strengthen management and prevention.