Self-Made, Cost-Reducing Hemostatic Agent for Use in Spine Surgery

Operative bleeding complications can lead to patient morbidity and mortality as well as longer and increased hospitalization costs. Matrix hemostatic sealants are used commonly to shorten the time to hemostasis, operative times, and the need for blood transfusion. Commercially available hemostatic powders are used in spine surgery because of their ability to conform to wounds and decrease bleeding in difficult-to-access surgical sites. Hospital costs for these agents are variable and are dependent on negotiated institutional contracted prices. We present our technique for mixing and use of our own hemostatic agent that has been used by our senior spine surgeons for more than a decade. It uses supplies that are commonly found in the hospital for a fraction of the cost and at different concentrations of thrombin. We hope that this report serves to assist surgeons working in hospitals with limited resources and enriches their armamentarium of hemostatic agents.