Objective: To establish the feasibility and safety of recuperating blood absorbed by swabs used during orthopaedic surgery.Study design: Open, prospective study.Patients: Included were children undergoing potentially haemorrhagic orthopaedic surgery for whom intraoperative blood salvage seemed possible. Excluded were those with contraindications for this procedure such as septic surgery and cancer surgery.Method: Intraoperative swabs used within the surgical field were collected by a surgical assistant, also in charge of weighing and washing them. The liquid was collected by the aspiration system of a recuperation-washing machine (RWM). The salvaged red blood cells were collected and retransfused at the end of surgery. Several samples of the washing liquid of the swabs and salvaged blood were taken during the procedure. The correlation between the quantity of blood shed and salvaged was calculated. The biological and clinical tolerance of the transfusion was assessed.Results: Twelve patients undergoing surgery for scoliosis have been included. An average of 278 mL of blood were salvaged. In the washed cell concentrates the haematocrit was 54% and the free haemoglobin concentration was 3.84 g.L - 1 . All the bacteriological tests were negative over the first 24 hours.Conclusion: Provided that a strict operatory protocol is followed, this study demonstrates the possibility of recuperating blood from swabs used during major orthopaedic surgery.Objectif: Verifier la faisabilite et l'innocuite de la recuperation du sang contenu dans les compresses utilisees dans le champ operatoire en cours de chirurgie orthopedique.Type d'etude: Etude prospective ouverte.Patients: Ont ete inclus tous les enfants devant beneficier d'une chirurgie orthopedique potentiellement hemorragique, a l'occasion de laquelle la recuperation de sang pendant la periode peroperatoire semblait indiquee. Etaient exclus ceux qui avaient une contre-indication a la recuperation de sang en phase peroperatoire (chirurgie septique, chirurgie carcinologique).Methode: Pendant l'intervention les compresses utilisees comme tampons dans le site operatoire etaient recuperees par un assistant charge de les peser et les rincer. Le liquide de rincage etait recupere par le systeme aspiratif d'un appareil de recuperation-lavage (ARL). Apres avoir ete centrifuge et lave, il etait reintuse en fin de cycle dans une poche sterile. Ce culot recupere etait restitue au patient a la fin de l'intervention. Divers prelevements du liquide de rincage des compresses et du sang recupere etaient effectues au cours de l'etude pour controler la qualite du culot obtenu. Le rapport entre le volume de sang perdu et recupere etait calcule. La tolerance clinique et biologique de la transfusion etait surveillee.Resultats: L'etude a porte sur 12 patients operes pour scoliose; 278 mL de sang etaient recuperes en moyenne. L'hematocrite des culots etait de 54 % de la concentration d'hemoglobine libre de 3,84 g.L - 1 . L'ensemble des prelevements pour analyse bacteriologique etait negatif dans les 24 premieres heures. La tolerance clinique de la restitution etait excellente. Aucun patient n'a necessite de transfusion homologue.Conclusion: Sous reserve d'un protocole de manipulation rigoureux, ce travail souligne la possibilite de recuperer le sang contenu dans les compresses utilisees en chirurgie orthopedique.