Blood transfusion after vaginal hysterectomy for pelvic organ prolapse

Bobby D. O’Leary, Mark Dempsey, Gerard J. Agnew

Hysterectomy is a commonly performed gynaecological procedure, and vaginal hysterectomy for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse will become more common as our population ages. Red cell transfusion after hysterectomy has been reported in the literature as between 2.5 and 4.3%. This paper aimed to review the rate of red cell transfusion after vaginal hysterectomy for pelvic organ prolapse in three university-affiliated teaching hospitals. We reviewed 108 vaginal hysterectomies performed across three teaching hospitals to determine the rate of post-operative blood transfusion. A total of 1.9% (2/108) of women received at least one unit of red cells after their vaginal hysterectomy in our cohort. The mean drop in haemoglobin was 2.0 (95% CI, 1.8-2.3, P < 0.001). Red cell transfusion remains lower than international figures. This may form part of patient counselling when discussing the route of hysterectomy in the future.