The Journal of arthroplasty
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Postoperative blood salvage reduces the risk of allogenic transfusion in patients undergoing elective total joint arthroplasty. We measured the concentrations of coagulation parameters after autotransfusion of unwashed shed blood in 22 patients having elective joint arthroplasty and compared them with patients without retransfusion. ⋯ Levels of D-dimer and fibrinogen increased significantly over time after retransfusion (P < .0001). Comparison of the autotransfused group with the 25 patients without reinfused shed blood showed no significant difference in fibrinogen concentration between the 2 groups in the postoperative course but a significant difference with increased D-dimer concentrations in the autotransfused group (P < .001).