Assessing blood loss in cleft lip and palate surgery

A method of continuously assessing peroperative blood loss is presented. A calibrated trap which collects all the blood loss is placed in the suction tubing. Bipolar diathermy and suction maintain a bloodless wound. A test using 20 ml of fresh venous blood showed that approximately 5 ml remained clotted in the tubing and 15 ml entered the trap. The method is particularly applicable to cleft lip and palate surgery.