Fluid Management in Spine Surgery

Abstract

Perioperative fluid therapy (PFT) is an important component of perioperative care of patients undergoing major surgical procedures. Notably, spine surgery is one of those complex procedures. In addition to the wellrecognized risks and limitations of PFT in major surgeries, spine surgery is associated with unique patient and surgical factors that render PFT a real challenge. These factors include: the patient’s preoperative morbid status, the extent of the surgical procedure, the impact of patient position, the operative blood loss, and the high necessity to maintain spinal cord perfusion. This chapter is intended to discuss the perioperative fluid and blood management of patients undergoing spine surgery in view of the associated challenges and the current available evidence.