A retrospective study of preoperative blood ordering practices for 20 commonly performed elective and emergency general surgical procedures was carried out in a Glasgow teaching hospital. It was found that 50.6% of cross-matched blood was returned unused. This practice contributes to the wasteful outdating of blood held in cross match status but never used. As a result, the Minimum Blood Ordering Schedule has been developed to guide blood ordering in those operations where there is a realistic probability of transfusion (<30 %), and a group and screen is advocated for the remainder of procedures. In this way significant savings can be made in blood, laboratory technician's time and resources.
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