Preoperative risk factors predict perioperative allogenic blood transfusion in patients undergoing primary lung cancer resections: a retrospective cohort study from a high-volume thoracic surgery center

BACKGROUND: Our study aimed to identify preoperative predictors for perioperative allogenic blood transfusion (ABT) in patients undergoing major lung cancer resections in order to improve the perioperative management of patients at risk for ABT. METHODS: Patients admitted between 2014 and 2016 in a high-volume thoracic surgery clinic were retrospectively evaluated in a cohort study based on a control group without ABT and the ABT group requiring packed red blood cell units within 15 days postoperatively until discharge. The association of ABT with clinically established parameters (sex, preoperative anemia, liver and coagulation function, blood groups, multilobar resections) was analyzed by contingency tables, receiver operating characteristics (ROC) and logistic regression analysis, taking into account potential covariates. RESULTS: 60 out of 529 patients (11.3%) required ABT. N1 and non-T1 tumors, thoracotomy approach, multilobar resections, thoracic wall resections and Rhesus negativity were more frequent in the ABT group. In multivariable analyses, female sex, preoperative anemia, multilobar resections, as well as serum alanine-aminotransferase levels, thrombocyte counts and Rhesus negativity were identified as independent predictors of ABT, being associated with OR (95% Confidence interval, p-value) of 2.44 (1.23–4.88, p = 0.0112), 18.16 (8.73–37.78, p < 0.0001), 5.79 (2.50–13.38, p < 0.0001), 3.98 (1.73–9.16, p = 0.0012), 2.04 (1.04–4.02, p = 0.0390) and 2.84 (1.23–6.59, p = 0.0150), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing major lung cancer resections, multiple independent risk factors for perioperative ABT apart from preoperative anemia and multilobar resections were identified. Assessment of these predictors might help to identify high risk patients preoperatively and to improve the strategies that reduce perioperative ABT. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12893-023-01924-9.