Efficacy of surgicel (TM) for hemostasis following thyroid surgery: a prospective clinical study

Abstract

Objective: Complications such as bleeding and hematoma can be seen in an early period following thyroidectomy operations, and hematoma may be lethal in some rare cases if not intervened. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of oxidized cellulose (Surgicel (TM)) in hemostasis after thyroidectomy operation. Materials and methods: A prospective study is designed including 80 patients that underwent total thyroidectomy operation. The study group consisted of patients that had Surgicel placed at the operation site (n=40). The remaining patients were used as the control group (n=40). The amount of postoperative bleeding was compared between the groups. Results: There were a total of 68 (85%) females and 12 (15%) males in the study. When bleeding was evaluated across the study and control groups, there was no significant difference in terms of the amount of postoperative bleeding (Study group: 73.0 +/- 9.5 ml, Control group: 78.9 +/- 18.3 ml) (P=0.332). The amount of bleeding showed a statistically significant difference across the different types of goiter (P=0.001). Conclusion: Utilization of Surgicel following thyroidectomy operation does not demonstrate any advantage over conventional methods of hemostasis (electrocautery, ligation).