"Average Transfusion Rate of 75.5% in Domestic Knee Arthroplasty Surgeries... Significantly Higher Than Abroad"

Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital Orthopedics Professor No Jae-hwi Team
Analysis of 50,000 Knee Arthroplasty Surgeries from 2012 to 2018
"Blood Supply Decreased Due to COVID-19... Efforts Needed to Reduce Bleeding"

Professor Noh Jae-hwi, Department of Orthopedics, Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The transfusion rate during knee arthroplasty surgeries in South Korea was still high at an average of 75.5% as of 2018.

The orthopedic surgery team led by Professor Noh Jae-hwi at Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital (Seo Yoo-sung, Choi Hyung-seok, Jang Byung-woong, Lee Jung-jae from the Bloodless and Patient Blood Management Center, and Jung Ha-ran) announced on the 17th that this was confirmed through an analysis of over 50,000 knee arthroplasty surgeries using data from the 2012-2018 National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC).

The research team investigated the overall transfusion rate, number of transfusions, and costs by transfusion product for surgeries categorized into three types: total knee arthroplasty, partial knee arthroplasty, and revision arthroplasty. The average transfusion rate was 75.5%, and the yearly transfusion rates were 83.4% in 2012, 82.7% in 2013, 79.6% in 2014, 75.9% in 2015, 73.1% in 2016, 68.2% in 2017, and 64.6% in 2018. The proportions by transfusion product were 1.8% fresh frozen plasma, 0.5% platelets, and 97.7% red blood cells.

The average transfusion cost was 130,920 KRW per surgery. By year, the costs were 153,750 KRW in 2012, 155,000 KRW in 2013, 154,125 KRW in 2014, 138,250 KRW in 2015, 125,000 KRW in 2016, 116,125 KRW in 2017, and 112,625 KRW in 2018.

This rate is significantly higher compared to foreign countries such as the United States (8%), the United Kingdom (7.5%), and Australia (14%). Professor Noh Jae-hwi expressed concern, stating, “We confirmed that the pre- and post-operative transfusion rates during knee arthroplasty are very high. Although the transfusion rate has gradually decreased each year, it remains at a high level.”

He added, “Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, blood donations have decreased, causing difficulties in blood supply, and the Korean Red Cross’s blood reserves have sharply declined. Additionally, with the aging population, the demand for knee arthroplasty is increasing, leading to a rise in the required blood volume. Efforts to reduce bleeding during knee joint arthroplasty are necessary, and it is important to minimize the use of allogeneic transfusions during surgery through patient blood management (PBM) programs.”

This study was published in the SCI-level international journal International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

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