Effect of intraoperative hypovolemic phlebotomy on transfusion and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing hepatectomy: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: There is no consensus on how to best achieve a low central venous pressure during hepatectomy for the purpose of reducing blood loss and red blood cell (RBC) transfusions. We analyzed the associations between intraoperative hypovolemic phlebotomy (IOHP), transfusions, and postoperative outcomes in cancer patients undergoing hepatectomy. METHODS: Using surgical and transfusion databases of patients who underwent hepatectomy for cancer at one institution (11 January 2011 to 22 June 2017), we retrospectively analyzed associations between IOHP and RBC transfusion on the day of surgery (primary outcome), and with total perioperative transfusions, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative complications (secondary outcomes). We fitted logistic regression models by inverse probability of treatment weighting to adjust for confounders and reported adjusted odds ratio (aOR). RESULTS: There were 522 instances of IOHP performed during 683 hepatectomies, with a mean (standard deviation) volume of 396 (119) mL. The IOHP patients had a 6.9% transfusion risk on the day of surgery compared with 12.4% in non-IOHP patients (aOR, 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.29 to 0.98; P = 0.04). Total perioperative RBC transfusion tended to be lower in IOHP patients compared with non-IOHP patients (14.9% vs 22.4%, respectively; aOR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.44 to 1.16; P = 0.18). In patients with a predicted risk of ≥ 47.5% perioperative RBC transfusion, 24.6% were transfused when IOHP was used compared with 56.5% without IOHP. The incidence of severe postoperative complications (Clavien–Dindo scores ≥ 3) was similar in patients whether or not IOHP was performed (15% vs 16% respectively; aOR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.53 to 1.54; P = 0.71). CONCLUSIONS: The use of IOHP during hepatectomy was associated with less RBCs transfused on the same day of surgery. Trials comparing IOHP with other techniques to reduce blood loss and transfusion are needed in liver surgery. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version of this article (10.1007/s12630-021-01958-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.