Table 3.
Clinicopathological characteristics of the propensity score-matched cohort (n = 722)
| Variables | Transfusion group (n = 361) | Non-transfusion group (n = 361) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender (males) | 225 (62.3%) | 229 (63.4%) | 0.758 |
| Age (years) | 57.15 ± 10.92 | 55.76 ± 11.43 | 0.096 |
| Body Mass Index (kg/m2) | 21.26 ± 2.74 | 21.24 ± 2.77 | 0.895 |
| ASA score | 0.067 | ||
| 1 | 48 (13.3%) | 46 (12.7%) | |
| 2 | 256 (70.9%) | 233 (64.5%) | |
| 3 | 54 (15.0%) | 77 (21.3%) | |
| 4 | 3 (0.8%) | 5 (1.4%) | |
| Smoking history | 136 (37.7%) | 125 (34.6%) | 0.394 |
| Any comorbidities | 115 (31.9%) | 119 (33.0%) | 0.750 |
| History of abdominal surgery | 40 (11.1%) | 37 (10.2%) | 0.718 |
| Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy | 26 (7.2%) | 16 (4.4%) | 0.112 |
| Pre-operative white blood cell count (× 109/L) | 5.86 ± 1.87 | 6.10 ± 1.73 | 0.080 |
| Pre-operative lymphocyte count (× 109/L) | 1.62 ± 0.74 | 1.66 ± 0.65 | 0.416 |
| Pre-operative albumin (g/L) | 36.39 ± 4.87 | 36.91 ± 4.96 | 0.154 |
| Pre-operative hemoglobin (g/L) | 91.19 ± 23.99 | 119.98 ± 17.38 | < 0.001 |
| Complication due to the tumora | 147 (40.7%) | 147 (40.7%) | 1.000 |
| Operation method | 0.091 | ||
| Open | 322 (89.2%) | 335 (92.8%) | |
| Laparoscopy | 39 (10.8%) | 26 (7.2%) | |
| Type of resection | 0.203 | ||
| Subtotal gastrectomy | 260 (72.0%) | 275 (76.2%) | |
| Total gastrectomy | 101 (28.0%) | 86 (23.8%) | |
| Combined multi-organ resection | 52 (14.4%) | 50 (13.9%) | 0.831 |
| Tumor size (cm) | 4.77 ± 2.11 | 4.86 ± 2.02 | 0.544 |
| Tumor location | 0.441 | ||
| Upper | 43 (11.9%) | 40 (11.1%) | |
| Middle | 92 (25.5%) | 75 (20.8%) | |
| Lower | 210 (58.2%) | 228 (63.2%) | |
| Diffuse | 16 (4.4%) | 18 (5.0%) | |
| pTNM stageb | 0.977 | ||
| I | 55 (15.2%) | 43 (11.9%) | |
| II | 58 (16.1%) | 74 (20.5%) | |
| III | 248 (68.7%) | 244 (67.6%) | |
| Intra-operative blood loss (mL) | 248 ± 177 | 212 ± 90 | 0.001 |
| Operation time (min) | 211.78 ± 58.61 | 216.61 ± 45.50 | 0.199 |
| Post-operative complication classification | 0.023 | ||
| None | 301 (83.4%) | 326 (90.3%) | |
| Infectious complications | 43 (11.9%) | 25 (6.9%) | |
| Non-infectious complications | 17 (4.7%) | 10 (2.8%) | |
| Post-operative complication severityc | 0.006 | ||
| None | 301 (83.4%) | 326 (90.3%) | |
| Grade II | 38 (10.5%) | 23 (6.4%) | |
| Grade III or greater | 22 (6.1%) | 12 (3.3%) | |
| Transferring to ICU post-operation | 16 (4.4%) | 11 (3.0%) | 0.327 |
| Post-operative hospital stays (days) | 13.20 ± 10.70 | 12.34 ± 4.05 | 0.153 |
Data are presented as mean ± SD or n (%)
ASA American Society of Anesthesiology, ICU intensive care unit
aIncluding pyloric obstruction or bleeding
bTumor stages are based on 7th edition of the Union for International Cancer Control TNM classification
cBased on the Clavien–Dindo severity classification of surgical complications