Does Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenic Protein 2 Affect Perioperative Blood Loss after Lumbar and Thoracic Spinal Fusion?

• Main Authors: Nathan Wanderman, Bayard Carlson, William Robinson, Mohamad Bydon, Michael Yaszemski, Paul Huddleston, Brett Freedman
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korean Spine Society 2018-10-01
• Series: Asian Spine Journal
• Subjects: Lumbar fusion; Recombinant human bone morphogenic protein; Iliac crest bone graft; Perioperative blood loss
• Online Access: http://www.asianspinejournal.org/upload/pdf/asj-2018-12-5-880.pdf

Study Design Retrospective cohort design. Purpose This study aimed to determine whether recombinant human bone morphogenic protein 2 (rhBMP-2) reduces total perioperative blood loss during lumbar and thoracic fusion. Overview of Literature Previous studies on rhBMP-2 versus iliac crest bone grafting in thoracic and lumbar fusions have yielded mixed results regarding reductions in blood loss and have largely neglected the postoperative period when analyzing total blood loss. Additionally, these studies have been limited by heterogeneity and sample size. Methods We analyzed the blood loss patterns of 617 consecutive adult patients undergoing lumbar and/or thoracic fusions requiring subfascial drain placement at a single institution from January 2009 to December 2016. Patients were divided into BMP and non-BMP cohorts, and a propensity score analysis was conducted to account for the differences between cohorts. Results At a per-level fused basis, the BMP group exhibited a significant reduction in the intraoperative (66.1 mL per-level fused basis; 95% confidence interval [CI], 127.9 to 4.25 mL; p=0.036) and total perioperative blood loss (100.7 mL per-level fused basis; 95% CI, 200.9 to 0.5 mL; p=0.049). However, no significant differences were observed in an analysis when not controlling for the number of levels or when examining the postoperative drain output. Conclusion RhBMP-2 appears to reduce both intraoperative and total blood loss during lumbar and thoracic fusions on a per-level fused basis. This total reduction in blood loss was achieved via intraoperative effects because RhBMP-2 had no significant effect on the postoperative drain output.