The impact of perioperative blood transfusions on short-term outcomes following hepatectomy

Hepatectomy is increasingly performed for a range of malignant and benign diseases. With improvements in perioperative management and surgical technique, post-hepatectomy short-term outcomes have improved and mortality now nears 1% in high volume centres (1,2). However, blood loss remains a significant concern and has been the topic of numerous studies (3-5). As a result, red blood cell transfusions (RBCT) are required in up to 25% of patients undergoing liver resection (6-8). Thus, hepatectomy represents a unique challenge with regards to blood management strategies