Objective  To analyze red blood cell transfusion in the Department of Gastroenterology of Peking Union Medical College Hospital in 2015 in order to provide references for rational use of blood in clinical practice.

  Methods  Medical records of patients hospitalized in Department of Gastroenterology of Peking Union Medical College Hospital who received red blood cell transfusion from January to October in 2014 and 2015 were reviewed. The clinical information including blood transfusion volume, transfusion case number, the cause of transfusion, and the hemoglobin level before transfusion were summarized.

  Results  The red blood transfusion volume was 403 U in the Department of Gastroenterology in 2015, transfused in 76 person-times, accounted for 8.4% of the total red blood cell transfusion volume in all non-surgical departments. Gastrointestinal bleeding and inflammatory bowel disease were the two kinds of diseases which consumed the largest volume of blood both in 2014 and 2015. In 2015, the total transfusion volume of 37 gastraintestinal bleeding patients who needed blood transfusion was 204 U. The average transfusion volume was the highest in lymphoma (21.5 U per person). 9.2% of the patients needed emergency surgical hemostasis. The median hemoglobin level before red blood celltransfusion of in-patients in the Department of Gastroenterology was 65.5 g/L, meeting the recommended threshold of Chinese guidelines on blood transfusion.

  Conclusions  The large volume of blood transfusion in the Department of Gastroenterology may be due to the type and severity of conditions treated in this department. Strengthening cooperation among departments and optimizing the schedule of surgery may help in reducing the volume of blood transfusion in Department of Gastroenterolgy.