title: Coagulation parameters after retransfusion of unwashed blood.
abstract: Postoperative blood salvage reduces the risk of allogenic transfusion in patients undergoing elective total joint arthroplasty. We measured the concentrations of coagulation parameters after autotransfusion of unwashed shed blood in 22 patients having elective joint arthroplasty and compared them with patients without retransfusion. Twenty-two patients with a total hip or knee arthroplasty received a mean of 611.4 mL unwashed but filtered shed blood. No complications were observed during or after the reinfusion of salvaged blood. Levels of D-dimer and fibrinogen increased significantly over time after retransfusion (P < .0001). Comparison of the autotransfused group with the 25 patients without reinfused shed blood showed no significant difference in fibrinogen concentration between the 2 groups in the postoperative course but a significant difference with increased D-dimer concentrations in the autotransfused group (P < .001).
authors.affiliation: Orthopedic Department, LKH-Villach-SKA Warmbad, Austria.
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Helwig
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schaub
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berghold
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ziervogel
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip; D001804:Blood Transfusion, Autologous / Q000379:methods*; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D005260:Female; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products / Q000032:analysis*; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000032:analysis; D005374:Filtration; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000175:diagnosis*; D019233:Retreatment; D013997:Time Factors; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products; C036309:fibrin fragment D; D005340:Fibrinogen