Mohammad Reza Safdari - Surgeries at Department of Orthopedic, Amam Ali Hospital, Medical University of North Khorasan, Bojnord, Iran.

Introduction: This exhaustive literature review aimed to find articles in relation to blood loss prevention in TKA via searching in databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar during 2005-2015.Methods: In this study, we included all the articles focusing on the evaluation of blood loss during TKA using specific treatment methods to reduce blood loss. We explored the studies with control groups and placebo subjects, and other studies were excluded from this review. The obtained results of each surveyed articles were summarized and evaluated based on the objectives of this study.Results: In total, 68 studies performed on 8,355 patients were included in this review, 18 of which were double-blinded, and 40 were open-label. A significant difference was observed in the transfusion thresholds of all the reviewed studies. According to our findings, frequency of prophylactic deep venous thrombosis (DVT) varied in the reviewed studies due to the use of different techniques to prevent blood loss after TKA; the incidence of DVT was reported in 15 articles.Conclusion: Since ABT involves high risks and even morbidity, new techniques should be applied to prevent blood loss. Although several techniques are available to reduce blood loss in TKA, ABT is frequently practiced and might lead to anemia in TKA patients. On the other hand, the effectiveness of new methods used to prevent blood loss remains a matter of question since all these methods are associated with certain adverse side effects.

Arthritis, Blood transfusion, Knee arthroplasty