The efficacy of postoperative autotransfusion in total joint arthroplasty

Although postoperative blood salvage is used routinely in orthopaedic surgical procedures, little data exists to evaluate this practice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Solcotrans autotransfusion system following elective total joint arthroplasty. This study compared two groups of patients: 59 patients who used the Solcotrans Orthopaedic Drainage/Reinfusion System and 56 patients who used a standard drainage system. Based on the results of the study, the researchers questioned the clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a postoperative wound drainage/reinfusion system in patients after elective total joint arthroplasty.