• Jian Wu, Yongming Jin, Jun Zhang, Haiyu Shao, Di Yang, and Jinping Chen.
• Spinal Unit of Orthopedic Department of Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
• J Spinal Disord Tech. 2014 Dec 1;27(8):442-6.

Study DesignThis was a prospective, randomized controlled clinical study.ObjectiveTo determine the efficacy of absorbable gelatin sponge in reducing blood loss, as well as shortening the length of hospital stay in patients undergoing multilevel posterior lumbar spinal surgery.BackgroundAbsorbable gelatin sponge is reported to decrease postoperative drain output and the length of hospital stay after multilevel posterior cervical spine surgery. However, there is a dearth of literature on prospective study of the efficacy of absorbable gelatin sponge in reducing postoperative blood loss, as well as shortening the length of hospital stay in patients undergoing multilevel posterior lumbar spinal surgery.Materials And MethodsA total of 82 consecutive patients who underwent multilevel posterior lumbar fusion or posterior lumbar interbody fusion between June 2011 and June 2012 were prospectively randomized into one of the 2 groups according to whether absorbable gelatin sponge for postoperative blood management was used or not. Demographic distribution, total drain output, blood transfusion rate, the length of stay, the number of readmissions, and postoperative complications were analyzed.ResultsTotal drain output averaged 173 mL in the study group and 392 mL in the control group (P=0.000). Perioperative allogeneic blood transfusion rate were lower in the Gelfoam group (34.1% vs. 58.5%, P=0.046); moreover, length of stay in patients with the use of absorbable gelatin sponge (12.58 d) was significantly shorter (P=0.009) than the patients in the control group (14.46 d). No patient developed adverse reactions attributable to the absorbable gelatin sponge.ConclusionsApplication of absorbable gelatin sponge at the end of multilevel posterior lumbar fusion can significantly decrease postoperative drain output and length of hospital stay.

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