Correlation of Coagulopathy and Pulmonary Insufficiency With Blood Transfusion in Spinal Fusions

Abstract

In a review of 210 spinal fusions, the platelet count and the arterial–alveolar oxygen tension ratio both decreased as the blood transfused increased, but were not correlated with positive fluid balance. In procedures that might require more than 70–80 ml/kg of blood, such as myelodysplastic, paralytic, and congenital spinal surgery, the coagulation system and arterial gases should be monitored frequently intraoperatively and postoperatively.