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My sister's child is having spinal surgery for scoliosis. The hospital has asked family member to donate blood ahead of time for the operation. Is this a common practice? Will she really need that much blood?

Spinal surgery for scoliosis can be a very complex operation. Blood loss is common. Studies show transfusion is needed in more than half the cases. The typical patient loses about 22 mL/kg of blood during spinal fusion for scoliosis. This translates to about two pints of blood per 100 pounds.

Children with scoliosis associated with other conditions such as cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy are more likely to need blood transfusion. Preoperative blood donation is common for this type of patient.

Reference: 

Nancy Alice Murphy, MD, et al. Spinal Surgery in Children with Idiopathic and Neuromuscular Scoliosis. What's the Difference? In Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics. March/April 2006. Vol. 26. No. 2. Pp. 216-220.

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