Hello,
I am a 52 year old male, - and I have been following this forum for years now, trying to educate myself on all the possibilities and challenges in regards to this subject.
I have only recently become aware of the issue in regards to bloodtransfusions during or after the surgery.
During the last couple of years I have been communicating back and forth with De Smet about the procedure, - but he hasn't mentioned anything about blood transfusions....
I REALLY dont want to have any blood from other people, - I know enough about the procedure of extraction and processing of blood and the lack of thorough testing, - that this is really not an obtion for me.
So... I would love to hear some feedback from you guys about your experiences with bloodtransfusions, -
Did you need any?
Were there protocols you had to follow prior to surgery in order to build up your blood and resilience?
- supplements or hormones maybe?
Is there any alternatives to the bloodtransfusions that you have heard about? - Saltwater IV perhaps?
Have any of you experienced surgeons who refused to do the procedure if you didn't want blood?
Looking forward to your input - thanks!
I'm a De Smet patient from 2006. I did not have a blood transfusion. Normally, I don't believe most people do. At one point, long time ago since I have run this website since 2005, I remember some doctors having people donate their own in case it was needed.
Just email Dr. De Smet and ask him and tell him your concern. He is usually very good about answering emails.
I wish you the very best.
Pat
I believe that blood transfusions during hip resurfacing surgeries are uncommon. I did not have one for either of my surgeries (2016 and 2021). According to my surgeon's website, they are not necessary. Obviously, any surgical procedure has risks, including blood loss necessitating a transfusion, but that's not the typical experience.
Like others have said, blood transfusions are not really a part of this surgery. If you watch the surgery online, you'll see that there's really not a lot of bleeding going on. How that's the case I don't know, but it's not. My surgeon (Dr. Gross) does draw blood prior to the surgery to create a platelet "slurry" that he uses when implanting the device to promote better/faster bone-ingrowth. But no transfusions.
Heck, the surgery itself is generally less than 90 minutes.