The American journal of orthopedics
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Bilateral knee dislocations seldom occur, and fewer than a dozen cases of bilateral luxatio erecta humeri (erect dislocation of the shoulder) have been reported. Here we present the case of a patient who sustained bilateral knee dislocations and bilateral luxatio erecta humeri in a motorcycle accident. Transient neurologic compromise resolved with closed reduction of the bilateral shoulder and left knee dislocations. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of a patient with this combination of injuries.
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Joint reconstruction surgery is associated with significant blood loss, and patients often require perioperative transfusions. Recombinant human erythropoietin (epoetin) can be used in anemic patients scheduled for elective, noncardiac, nonvascular surgery to reduce the need for transfusions. ⋯ Our analysis showed that transfusions were given to 3 (8%) of the 38 patients who received epoetin before surgery and 20 (57%) of the 35 historical controls (P<.001) and that length of hospital stay did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. Our results provide further support for use of epoetin as an effective strategy for reducing exposure to allogenic blood in orthopedic surgery.