Blood Loss Management in Primary Hip Surgery: Is Reinfusion drain A Feasible Option in Maintaining Hemoglobin Levels?

: The management of blood loss in primary hip arthroplasty is a controversial topic. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of reinfusion drains in terms of hemoglobin levels and volume of red blood cell transfused postoperatively. Material and Methods: 295 patients who underwent primary hip arthroplasty were retrospectively assessed. After applying the exclusion criteria, 94 patients were included in the study and were divided into two groups: 45 patients received a reinfusion drain and 49 a suction drain. The following were analyzed: demographic characteristics of patients, preoperative hemoglobin level, 12-h and 24-h postoperative hemoglobin levels and their variations, number of transfused units of packed red blood cells, and postoperative complications. Results: Kruskal Wallis analysis revealed the homogeneity of the study groups (Chi-square=2.40, df=2, p=0.301). A statistically significant lower decline in mean Hb24 was found in suction drain group (p=0.001). Kruskal Wallis test revealed a significantly more frequent postoperative use of a higher number of packed red blood cell units in the suction drain group (Chi-square=28.70, df=2, p=0.001) compared to reinfusion drain group. Conclusions: We failed to demonstrate the superiority of reinfusion drains versus suction drains in maintaining hemoglobin levels.