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Coagulopathy in Spinal Surgery

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Essentials of Neurosurgical Anesthesia & Critical Care

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Abstract

More than 500,000 spinal operations are performed annually in the USA. Unanticipated coagulopathy during spine surgery is fortunately not a common occurrence. However, substantial blood loss is certainly possible, given the increasing complexity of spine surgery, longer durations of surgery, the size of incisions, instrumentation near large vascular structures, as well as vascular spinal metastatic lesions. Significant intraoperative coagulopathy, defined as recurrent microvascular bleeding despite electrocautery and/or suture or decreased clot formation of blood pooled within the surgical field, has been reported in up to 16% of patients undergoing major spinal surgery. This bleeding can result in serious consequences including early termination of the procedure, postoperative hematoma formation, and increased in-hospital mortality.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Andrew H. Milby BS

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Casey H. Halpern MD

  3. Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    James M. Schuster MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Andrew H. Milby BS
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  2. Casey H. Halpern MD
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  3. James M. Schuster MD, PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Casey H. Halpern MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, and Perioperative Medicine, Professor, University School of Medicine, Portland, 97214, Oregon, USA

    Ansgar M. Brambrink

  2. Department of Anesthesiology, and Perioperative Medicine, Professor and Chair, University School of Medicine, Portland, 97214, Oregon, USA

    Jeffrey R. Kirsch

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Milby, A.H., Halpern, C.H., Schuster, J.M. (2012). Coagulopathy in Spinal Surgery. In: Brambrink, A., Kirsch, J. (eds) Essentials of Neurosurgical Anesthesia & Critical Care. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09562-2_31

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09562-2_31

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-09561-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-09562-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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