Quality of Assessment of Randomized Controlled Trials in Blood Conservation After Joint Arthroplasty

Blood transfusion after joint arthroplasty occurs in up to two thirds of patients. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to determine the methodological quality of published randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane to identify RCTs in arthroplasty with blood conservation as the primary outcome from 2001 to 2007. Methodological quality was evaluated using the Detsky index. We identified 62 RCTs. …