Intraoperative transfusion of small amounts of blood heralds worse postoperative outcome in patients having noncardiac thoracic operations.

Background: Massive intraoperative transfusion is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing noncardiac thoracic operations. We examined whether this association carries over to patients who receive only 1 to 2 units of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) during their operation.

Methods: We queried the American College of Surgeon's National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database for patients undergoing noncardiac, nonvascular thoracic operations during a 5-year period.