Effect of Perioperative Blood Transfusion on Postoperative Complications of Free-Flap Reconstruction for Oral Cancer: Analysis of Propensity Score-Matched Cohorts

Abstract

Background It has been confirmed in other fields that perioperative blood transfusion (PBT) will increase the incidence of complications after free-flap reconstruction and increase the risk of patients returning to the operating room within 48 hours after the initial operation. However, for head and neck tumors, whether PBT is related to postoperative complications is debatable. The aim of this study was to control the demographic and comorbidity characteristics of patients by propensity score matching (PSM) as well as to investigate the relationship between PBT and postoperative complications after oral cancer free-flap reconstruction.

Methods A total of 597 patients who underwent microvascular free tissue transfer in two top three hospitals in Southwest China from January 2015 to July 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. The study population was divided based on PBT within 24 hours of the start of the operation and to ensure homogeneity between groups by using the PSM. The primary outcomes were postoperative complications; secondary outcomes were to explore the intraoperative risk factors of PBT.

Results A total of 597 patients were included. Among them, 90 patients received a PBT. Those patients were successfully matched with 86 similar patients who did not receive a transfusion on a ratio of 1:1. This study did not find that patients receive a transfusion had a significantly higher risk of vascular pedicle thrombosis (p = 1.000), hematoma (p = 1.000), flap failure (p = 0.398), flap-related complications (p = 0.470), and other medical complications (p = 1.000). After controlling the preoperative confounding factors and adjusting the logistic regression model, it was concluded that the tumor location-mandible (odds ratio [OR] = 19.923, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.213–327.302, p = 0.036) and operation time (OR = 1.011, 95% CI: 1.008–1.014, p < 0.001) were the intraoperative risk factors for PBT.

Conclusion PBT is not associated with an increased probability of postoperative complications. Mandibular tumor may have a higher risk of PBT.

Keywords

blood transfusion - complication - free flap - perioperative - flap reconstruction

Authors' Contributions

Y.C. and M.T. contributed to the conception of the study. Y.C. and Y.L. contributed significantly to analysis and manuscript preparation. H.W. and X.P. performed the data analyses. D.G. and L.Z. helped perform the analyses with constructive discussions. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Availability of Data and Materials

The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to ownership of data but available from the corresponding author on a reasonable request.

Ethics Approval

This study is a retrospective study, without the informed consent of the patients but has passed the ethical permission of the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University and Zunyi Medical University. This research was conducted in accordance with international guidelines and the ethical standards outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki.

^* Yu Chen and Yinfu Lei contributed equally to this study.

Publikationsverlauf

Eingereicht: 19. Februar 2023

Angenommen: 18. Dezember 2023

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
03. April 2024

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