ReviewThe efficacy and safety of using a bipolar sealer to prevent blood loss in spine surgery: A meta-analysis

- We carried a meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of bipolar sealer for controlling blood loss in spine surgery.
- Only high quality studies were included.
- Bipolar sealer is superior than standard electrocautery in reducing intraoperative blood loss without sacrificing safety.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs was to evaluate the effect of using a bipolar sealer to prevent surgical bleeding in spine surgery.MethodsIn June 2017, the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane controlled trials register, Web of Science, Google, and Chinese Wanfang databases were used to identify RCTs and non-RCTs comparing the effects of intraoperative placement of a bipolar sealer versus standard electrocautery with regard to blood loss and blood transfusion. Stata 12.0 software was used to perform the meta-analysis. Weighted mean differences with 95% confidential intervals (CIs) were used for continuous outcomes, and relative risks with 95% CIs were used for discontinuous outcomes. After testing for publication bias and heterogeneity across studies, the data were aggregated and assessed with a random effects model when necessary.ResultsIn total, 6 clinical trials with 560 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled results indicated that the use of a bipolar sealer decreased the estimated blood loss (MD = −165.06, 95% CI -236.73 to −93.40, P < 0.001), the need for a blood transfusion (RR = 0.46, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.68, P < 0.001), the transfusion units used (MD = −0.41, 95% CI -0.60 to −0.21, P < 0.001), the operative time (MD = −12.98, 95% CI -21.82 to −4.15, P = 0.004) and the length of hospital stay (MD = −2.77, 95% CI -5.45 to −0.10, P = 0.042). No significant difference was observed for the occurrence of infection (RR = 0.52, 95% CI 0.19 to 1.39, P = 0.192).ConclusionBased on the current meta-analysis, the use of a bipolar sealer is superior to standard electrocautery for reducing intraoperative blood loss and is therefore recommend for use during spine surgery.