Autologous Blood Transfusion for Spinal Deformity Surgery in Children less than 10 Years Old

The purpose of this study is to investigate the benefits of autologous blood transfusion in children less than 10 years old. In this 7-year retrospective review, 19 patients were identified who had predeposited autologous blood for undergoing spinal instrumentation and fusion. The mean age and weight were 7.8 years (4-10) and 20.2 kg (13.9-30), respectively. The mean volume of the total predeposited autologous blood and operative blood loss was 700ml and 640ml, respectively. The mean volume of the transfused autologous blood was 526ml. Consequently, one or two units of the predeposited autologous blood was wasted in 11 of the 19 patients. There were no serious complications under collecting blood from donors. 95% of patients required no homologous blood. These results suggest that the use of predeposited autologous blood was beneficial and safe for children less than 10 years old.