How Much for that Bag of Blood?

There’s more cost than meets the surgeon’s eye in a unit of donated blood. Direct costs such as acquisition, typing, crossmatching and administration are only part of the picture. The indirect costs of blood transfusion, including complications that may lead to increased lengths of hospital stay, can add significantly to the true cost of every unit of blood transfused.¹

A recent report from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations estimates that the cost of transfusing a unit of blood is now between $500 and $700, with the total cost increasing to more than $1,000 per unit if the costs of complications are included.²

Indirect Costs
Several studies have reported a relationship between transfusions and an increased risk of infection.^3,4 The estimated incremental cost of hospital services for a postoperative infection associated with a blood transfusion is approximately $14,000.⁴

A large study of over 9,000 patients undergoing total hip and knee replacement reported that patients who had received transfusions of banked blood had their hospital stay prolonged by one additional day compared to patients who did not receive a transfusion.³ A recent study reports that a one day increase in hospital length of stay adds $1,122 to the cost of hospitalization.⁵

The Solution
The best solution to surgical bleeding? Let’s explore a breakthrough that helps surgeons keep blood in the patient where it belongs: Transcollation Technology

References

1. Shander A. et al. Estimating the cost of blood: past, present, and future directions. Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol. 2007; 21:271-89.
2. A New Look at Blood Transfusion: Evaluation of the risks and benefits prompts careful blood management. Joint Commission Perspectives on Patient Safety, January 2007, Volume 7, Issue 1.
3. Bierbaum BE, et al. An analysis of blood management in patients having a total hip or knee arthroplasty. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1999; 81:2-10.
4. Carson JL, et al. Risk of bacterial infection associated with allogeneic blood transfusion among patients undergoing hip fracture repair. Transfusion. 1999; 39:694-700.
5. Candrilli S, Mauskopf J. How much does a hospital day cost? 11th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Reseach, Philadelphia, PA; 2006.
6. Shander A. Financial and clinical outcomes associated with surgical bleeding complications. Surgery. 2007;  142(4 Suppl):S20-5.