Ultrasonic bone cutting system reduces blood loss

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A study presented at the 20th International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques (IMAST; 10–13 July, Vancouver, Canada) indicates that an ultrasonic bone cutting system (BoneScalpel, Misonix) is associated with meaningful reductions in blood loss in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. 

The study was an e-poster entitled “Blood loss reduced during surgical correction of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis with an ultrasonic bone scalpel” by Peter Newton (orthopaedic spinal surgeon, Rady’s Children Hospital in San Diego, USA). It found that use of the BoneScalpel in advanced spinal osteotomies over multiple spinal levels was associated with a 30–40% blood loss reduction in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.


Newton said: “The ultrasonic BoneScalpel allows me to perform precise bone cuts in the spine safely and efficiently without having to hit on an osteotome close to the spinal cord and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of reduced blood loss in my spinal deformity surgeries as compared to using traditional mechanical bone cutting instruments.” He added that he had suspected that the ultrasonic BoneScalpel contributed to a reduction in bone bleeding (and thus reduced the need for blood transfusions and cell salvage use) and he became convinced of this view when he compared 20 surgeries with the BoneScalpel with data based on his previous surgical experience.


According to a company press release, the BoneScalpel is a novel ultrasonic osteotome used for tissue-selective bone dissection that encourages en-bloc bone removal and refined osteotomies while sparing elastic soft tissue structures.