Is There Utility in Preoperative Testing of Hemoglobin Before Primary Cheiloplasty?

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether a preoperative hemoglobin of less than 10 g/dL is associated with a higher rate of perioperative complications. DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: Tertiary academic hospital at Arkansas Children's Hospital of Little Rock, Arkansas. PATIENTS: A retrospective chart review evaluated patients undergoing primary cleft lip surgery from 2012 to 2017. INTERVENTIONS: No prospective intervention was performed for this study care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Age, sex, medical history, weight, and perioperative complications. Hemoglobin level was collected in the preoperative area. The primary outcome was rate of perioperative complications including infection, dehiscence, return to the operating room, unplanned admission, and emergency department visit within two weeks postoperatively. RESULTS: 105 patients undergoing primary cheiloplasty met inclusion criteria. Hemoglobin levels were obtained on all patients. 93.3% (n = 98) of patients had a hemoglobin of >10 g/dL before surgery, and 6.6% (n = 7) had levels <10 g/dL. 1 of 7 patients with a hemoglobin of <10 g/dL experienced a postoperative complication (Tet spell) and one patient with a hemoglobin of >10 g/dL experienced a postoperative complication (unplanned intensive care admission for respiratory distress). CONCLUSIONS: Post-operative complications are rare after primary cheiloplasty in patients with low or normal hemoglobin levels. The results of this study show that a preoperative hemoglobin of <10 g/dL does not predict perioperative complications in patients undergoing primary cheiloplasty.