Hematology/blood disease
We are providing this information to you to serve as a guide through your pre- and post-op process. Your particular journey may involve many or none of these steps. At UNOVA Hip & Knee Center, we strive to personalize each patient experience, we understand that every patient we encounter is an individual with unique concerns. This content is not meant to be used to diagnose or treat any medical condition, those decisions should only be made after consultation with your treating surgeon and primary care physician.
At UNOVA Hip & Knee Center, although we believe every patient is unique, there are a few HARD STOP RULES that we must abide by before we can undertake your surgery. These rules exist to ensure your safety and to give us the best opportunity to help you achieve your desired outcome with the lowest possible chance of encountering a complication. THE PARAMETERS LINKED TO HARD STOPS ARE NON-NEGOTIABLE.
There are a few general health issues and medical conditions that give us greater concern and as such these must be dealt with prior to your being scheduled for surgery.
With all surgeries there is blood loss and the potential for unexpected blood loss. As a precaution, we want our patients’ blood counts to start at a level high enough to accommodate any unexpected blood loss. Our cut-off for the Hgb or hemoglobin level is a minimum of 10g/dl with a preferred range from 12 – 18g/dl.
Since an elevated white blood cell count is a possible sign of infection, any elevation in white blood cell count will need to be evaluated prior to surgery. Please inform your UNOVA Hip & Knee Center team of any family history of blood-related diseases such as Sickle Cell, Thalassemia, or Leukemia. The team will work closely with your hematology-oncology specialist to address any issues with scheduling and to minimize the impact on any treatment regimens you may be undertaking.