Postoperative autotransfusion drain after total hip arthroplasty: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

The use of a postoperative autotransfusion drain (PATD) to reduce allogenic blood transfusions in total hip arthroplasty (THA) remains controversial. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this technique. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified from PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Thirteen RCTs (1,424 participants) were included in our meta-analysis. The results showed that PATD reduced the rate of allogenic transfusions (RR = 0.56; 95% CI [0.40, 0.77]) and total blood loss (MD = -196.04; 95% CI [-311.01, -81.07]). Haemoglobin (Hb) levels were higher in the PATD group on postoperative day 1 (MD = 0.28; 95% CI [0.06, 0.49]), but no significant differences on postoperative days 2 or 3 (MD = 0.29; 95% CI [-0.02, 0.60]; MD = 0.26; 95% CI [-0.04, 0.56]; respectively). There were no differences in length of hospital stay (MD = -0.18; 95% CI [-0.61, 0.25]), febrile reaction (RR = 1.26; 95% CI [0.95, 1.67]), infection (RR = 0.95; 95% CI [0.54, 1.65]), wound problems (RR = 1.07; 95% CI [0.87, 1.33]), or serious adverse events (RR = 0.59; 95% CI [0.10, 3.58]). Our findings suggest that PATD is effective in reducing the rate of allogenic transfusion. However, the included studies are inadequately powered to conclusively determine the safety of this technique.