A new study conducted by surgeons from Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego shows the Misonix BoneScalpel could reduce blood loss during adolescent idiopathic scoliosis correction surgery.
The article will appear in the July edition of Spinal Deformity, the journal of the Scoliosis Research Society. The data analyzes 20 consecutive patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis who underwent posterior spinal fusion using the ultrasonic BoneScalpel. Their data was compared to cases performed by the same surgeon prior to using BoneScalpel.
The researchers found using BoneScalpel to perform bone cuts associated with facectomies and apical Ponte-type posterior releases resulted in less bleeding compared with cuts made with standard osteotomies and rongeurs. The BoneScalpel limited overall blood loss by 30 percent to 40 percent. Previous articles reported BoneScalpel safety and effectiveness in a variety of spine surgeries.
"We felt it important to conduct an empirical evaluation of the blood loss by looking at a single diagnosis — adolescent idiopathic scoliosis — with two control groups by a single surgeon. Our results showed a substantial reduction in blood loss from cuts on spinal bone which led to an equally significant reduction in transfused cell saver blood in this scoliosis patient population," said Peter Newton, MD, in a news release.
Lowering blood loss is important for clinical care as well as healthcare costs; blood transfusion exposes patients to higher risk of disease transmission and adverse reactions to prolonged stays in the hospital. Blood products like intraoperative cell savers can have a considerable logistics and economic burden on the hospitals.
"The observed reduction in blood loss in these young patients with severe spinal deformities is clearly remarkable and has been confirmed by other top hospitals in the United States and overseas," said President and CEO of Michael A. McManus Jr., in a news release. "Hospitals are increasingly trying to reduce the amount of blood transfusions and it is important to see that the BoneScalpel can contribute to these efforts, both from a clinical and economic perspective."
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