Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the use of predonation of autologous blood for the periacetabular osteotomy. We carried out a retrospective single surgeon series study looking at patient demographics, intraoperative blood loss, volume of red cells returned (by cell salvage and allogenic/autologous transfusion), and comparing pre- and postoperative haemoglobin levels in those that predonated and those that did not.
One hundred and twenty-two procedures were performed on 107 patients between 1996 and 2005. An initial audit (22 procedures) revealed high wastage (45% returned) of allogenic blood. A predonation protocol was initiated and subsequently 100 procedures in 91 patients were performed. In 82 procedures, the patients were eligible for predonation. A total of 226 units of autologous blood were predonated and 92% was used. Only 13 of these patients (16%) required additional allogenic transfusion for unforeseen excessive blood loss intraoperatively A set protocol for predonation reduces the need for allogenic transfusion and involves minimal wastage.
In a procedure which has significant blood loss, we suggest that preoperative autologous donation is a safe and cost effective method of managing blood loss.
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