Risk factors for perioperative blood transfusions after urogenital fistula repair in Uganda: a retrospective cohort study.

Abstract

To determine the incidence of and risk factors for perioperative blood transfusions after urogenital fistula repairs in Uganda. A retrospective cohort study. A community hospital in Masaka, Uganda. Women who underwent fistula repair at the Kitovu Hospital between 2013 and 2019. Retrospective review of demographics and clinical perioperative characteristics of patients surgically treated for urogenital fistula. Patient characteristics were compared between those who did and those who did not require a blood transfusion. Need for perioperative blood transfusion and risk factors. A total of 546 patients treated for urogenital fistulas were included in this study. The median age was 31.1 ± 13.2 years. A vaginal surgical approach was used in the majority of patients (84.6%). Complications occurred in 3.5% of surgical repairs, and the incidence of blood transfusions was 6.2%. In multivariable analyses, for each gram per deciliter (g/dl) increase in preoperative haemoglobin, the odds of blood transfusion decreased by approximately 28% (adjusted OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.59-0.86). Women who had their fistula repaired abdominally were 3.4 times more likely to require transfusions (95% CI 1.40-8.08). The incidence of blood transfusions among urogenital fistula repairs in our population is twice that of developed nations. An abdominal surgical approach to urogenital fistula is a significant risk factor for perioperative blood transfusions. The timing of the repair may warrant further study. One of the first studies to look at blood transfusion risk factors after fistula repair in a low-resource setting.