External dacryocystorhinostomy and local anesthesia: technique to measure minimized blood loss.

Purpose: To describe the techniques required to minimize blood loss in external dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) under local anesthesia and to accurately measure the intraoperative blood loss through application of these techniques.

Methods: Prospective single-surgeon series to include the first 20 sequential external DCRs from June 2002. Hemostasis was maximized at each stage of the procedure. Blood loss was measured by attaching a collection pot to the first link in the vacuum tubing. Patient demographics and operative duration were recorded.

Results: The mean blood loss was 4.5 mL (range, 1 to 14 mL). The mean operative duration was 36 minutes (range, 25 to 65 minutes). Seventy-five percent of patients were female and 25% were male. The mean age was 57 years (range, 48 to 76 years).

Conclusions: Intraoperative blood loss in external DCR can be reduced to a negligible level through careful patient preparation and operative technique. Minimal blood loss allows for patient comfort with DCR under local anesthesia.