Preoperative risk factors for postoperative blood transfusion after hip fracture surgery: establishment of a nomogram

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore the preoperative risk factors related to blood transfusion after hip fracture operations and to establish a nomogram prediction model. The application of this model will likely reduce unnecessary transfusions and avoid wasting blood products. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of all patients undergoing hip fracture surgery from January 2013 to January 2020. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between preoperative risk factors and blood transfusion after hip fracture operations. Finally, the risk factors obtained from the multivariate regression analysis were used to establish the nomogram model. The validation of the nomogram was assessed by the concordance index (C-index), the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, decision curve analysis (DCA), and calibration curves. RESULTS: A total of 820 patients were included in the present study for evaluation. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that low preoperative hemoglobin (Hb), general anesthesia (GA), non-use of tranexamic acid (TXA), and older age were independent risk factors for blood transfusion after hip fracture operation. The C-index of this model was 0.86 (95% CI, 0.83–0.89). Internal validation proved the nomogram model’s adequacy and accuracy, and the results showed that the predicted value agreed well with the actual values. CONCLUSIONS: A nomogram model was developed based on independent risk factors for blood transfusion after hip fracture surgery. Preoperative intervention can effectively reduce the incidence of blood transfusion after hip fracture operations.