title: Four Methods for Calculating Blood-loss after Total Knee Arthroplasty.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Currently, various calculation methods for evaluating blood-loss in patients with total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are applied in clinical practice. However, different methods may yield different results. The purpose of this study was to determine the most reliable method for calculating blood-loss after primary TKA.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared blood-loss in 245 patients who underwent primary unilateral TKA from February 2010 to August 2011. We calculated blood-loss using four methods: Gross equation, hemoglobin (Hb) balance, the Orthopedic Surgery Transfusion Hemoglobin European Overview (OSTHEO) formula, and Hb-dilution. We determined Pearson's correlation coefficients for the four methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were large differences in the calculated blood-loss obtained by the four methods. In descending order of combined correlation coefficient based on calculated blood-loss, the methods were Hb-balance, OSTHEO formula, Hb-dilution, and Gross equation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Hb-balance method may be the most reliable method of estimating blood-loss after TKA.
authors.forename: Fu-Qiang
authors.initials: FQ
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China.
authors.forename: Zi-Jian
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012189:Retrospective Studies