Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Jun 5;33(15):793-803.
doi: 10.5435/JAAOS-D-24-01399.

Improving Patient Outcomes by Reducing Anemia and Bleeding in Pediatric Spine Surgery

Mark J McVey  1 , Mark Camp, Caroline Malcolmson, David E Lebel
Affiliations
Review

Improving Patient Outcomes by Reducing Anemia and Bleeding in Pediatric Spine Surgery

Mark J McVey et al. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. .

Abstract

Children requiring spine surgery are often iron deficient and anemic. Pediatric spine surgery is associated with notable risk of perioperative acute blood loss. To manage acute blood loss, many pediatric patients undergoing spine surgery require allogeneic transfusion of blood products. Both anemia and blood transfusions are associated with morbidity, such as increased length of stay, perioperative costs, and rarely mortality. To mitigate these factors, applying ever evolving concepts related to patient blood management (PBM), blood conservation techniques (BCT), and enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) are effective means to reduce anemia and transfusions perioperatively during spine surgery. This review focuses on development of multidisciplinary teams to harness the potential of PBM, BCT, and ERAS strategies. PBM, BCT, and ERAS concepts applied perioperatively for pediatric patients undergoing spine surgery provide a means of mitigating anemia and reducing the requirement for blood transfusions.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Oetgen ME, Litrenta J: Perioperative blood management in pediatric spine surgery. J Am Acad Orthop Surg 2017;25:480-488.
    1. Moscheo C, Licciardello M, Samperi P, La Spina M, Di Cataldo A, Russo G: New insights into iron deficiency anemia in children: A practical review. Metabolites 2022;12:289.
    1. Switzer T, Naraine N, Chamlati R, et al.: Association between preoperative hemoglobin levels after iron supplementation and perioperative blood transfusion requirements in children undergoing scoliosis surgery. Paediatr Anaesth 2020;30:1077-1082.
    1. Goobie SM, DiNardo JA, Faraoni D: Relationship between transfusion volume and outcomes in children undergoing noncardiac surgery. Transfusion 2016;56:2487-2494.
    1. Lavoie J: Blood transfusion risks and alternative strategies in pediatric patients. Paediatr Anaesth 2011;21:14-24.

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources