The impact of blood conservation techniques on transfusion requirements for posterior adolescent idiopathic scoliosis corrections: do we need a routine cross-match for the operation?

Purpose: Various strategies are utilised to reduce blood loss and allogenic blood transfusion for posterior instrumented correction of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS). The aim of this study was to evaluate post-operative blood transfusion requirements to determine whether routine cross matching of blood is essential.

Methods: This is a prospective case series of 84 patients who underwent posterior correction of AIS between September 2016 and March 2018.

The role of peri-operative cell salvage in instrumented anterior correction of thoracolumbar scoliosis: a case-controlled study.

Anterior scoliosis surgery is associated with potentially high blood loss, usually requiring allogenic transfusion either intra- or post-operatively. Blood loss in this type of surgery has been shown to correlate with surgical and anaesthetic techniques. In our centre the development of specific anaesthetic techniques as well as the routine use of cell salvage has dramatically reduced the rates of allogenic blood transfusion.

Autologous transfusion in acetabuloplasty in children.

There were 22 patients with cerebral palsy aged six to 17 years who underwent an acetabuloplasty as part of an open reduction of the hip. In 11 patients a paediatric cell saver was used to collect autologous blood which was re-infused per-operatively. This group was compared to a cohort of 11 patients undergoing similar operations in whom only banked homologous blood was transfused.