Bloodless Spine Surgery: Pictures & Explanations

Section 1 covers common spinal conditions such as cervical, thoracic and lumbar herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis and scoliosis. Each problem is explained and illustrated. The classical symptoms, standard signs, traditional and non-traditional treatments along with surgical interventions are explained. Preventative techniques are described. Section 2 shows the medical evaluations and strategies necessary for safe spinal surgery. Basic medical, vascular, cardiac, hematological, pre-operative bloodless and pre-operative bloodless assessments for Jehovah's witnesses are covered. Section 3 takes the patient to spinal surgery. The concepts of radial arterial catheter, foley catheter, central access catheter, swan-ganz catheter, regional anesthesia, hypotensive anesthesia, fluroscopic evaluation, intraoperative neuromonitoring, pre-operative decisions, four-poster table, bovie and bipolar coagulator, Aquamantis coagulator, harmonic scalpel, high intensity headlights, futuristic surgical suite and innovative bloodless instruments along with techniques of surgery are illustrated and explained in language for the general public. Section 4 shows patient case reports displaying standard spinal decompression, complex spinal reconstruction, spinal fusion in Jehovah's witnesses and spinal fusion in patients with hemophilia along with kyphoplasty performed in an osteoporotic older patient. Section 5 is a thorough bloodless terminology dictionary which includes factors such as acute normovolemic hemodilution, allogenic blood and risk factors, anemia, anesthesiology, autologous self-salvage, auto-transfusion, blood safety data, cost of blood transfusion, factors used in transfusion, epinephrine, erythropoietin, fibrin sealants, gelatin and various dietary supplementations such as vitamins B12 and C necessary to augment iron storage.