Reinfusion of whole blood after revision surgery for infected total hip and knee arthroplasties

Because of its proven effectiveness in reducing the need for banked blood transfusions following total joint arthroplasty, the indications for postoperative blood retrieval were expanded to include seven cases of infected total knee or hip arthroplasties where a one-stage exchange procedure was performed. Each joint had been aspirated after surgery and had positive cultures but no gross pus at the time of revision surgery. Each of the operations included debridement with reimplantation of a cementless prosthesis under cover of intravenous antibiotics for 48 hours followed by oral treatment until discharge. Antibiotic-soaked morselized bone graft was used in all patients to restore deficient nonstructural bone. Wound drainage blood was retrieved and reinfused during the first 8 hours after surgery, averaging 958 cc. Banked blood usage averaged 2.4 U (88% homologous) with an average blood loss of 1,974 cc. One patient experienced shaking chills during a second reinfusion of 600 cc of blood without stoppage of the transfusion. Wound hematoma occurred in one patient but did not require surgical evacuation. No patient developed evidence of septicemia.