Background: Due to its immunomodulating effects mediated by leukocytes and interleukins, heterologous allogeneic blood transfusion has been considered as a risk factor for both morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery, including hip surgery. This research analyzed whether heterologous allogeneic blood transfusion is a risk factor associated with the adverse course or complication of the surgical wound in patients undergoing primary hip surgery due to fracture at a general hospital in 2008-2009.
Material and methods: Forty-nine patients who had a complication (cases) and 207 with no complications (controls) were identified and both groups were compared with a bivariate and multivariate analysis, and demographic and clinical data, including having undergone blood transfusion or not.
Results: Not having received a blood transfusion was identified as a variable that reduced the risk of surgical wound complications (OR = 0.05, 95% confidence interval [CI 95%] 0.0067 to 0.16; chi2 with p < 0.001). The multivariate model excluded as clinically significant variables the duration of surgery (OR = 1.01, CI 95% 0.99 to 1.02; p = 0.12) and certain chronic conditions (OR = 0.54, CI 95% 0.13 to 2.24 for diabetes mellitus, OR = 1.16, CI 95% 0.29 to 4.60 for chronic hypertension, OR = 1.21, CI 95% 0.19 to 7.51 for various heart diseases).
Conclusions: Not having received a blood transfusion reduced 95% the risk of surgi- cal wound complications. Neither the duration of surgery nor a specific comorbid condition were associated with the former event.