Are we all guilty of under-estimating intra-operative blood loss during hip fracture surgery?

Abstract

Aim To assess how accurately orthopaedic surgeons and anaesthesiologists estimate intraoperative blood loss during hip fracture surgery as part of the Surgical Safety Checklist (SCC). Methods A prospective study of 55 operations over 9 months. Pre- and post-operative estimations of blood loss were documented. Actual blood loss was determined by subtracting total amount of lavage fluid used from overall volumes in the suction bag and by weighing used swabs. Results Both, surgeons and anaesthesiologists, significantly underestimated intraoperative blood loss (p < 0.001). Conclusion Rather than numerical estimates, a more useful question within the SSC may therefore be: “Is excessive blood loss expected?”