Blood loss during endodontic surgery

The volume of blood lost during endodontic surgery was measured for 60 patients undergoing routine surgical procedures using local anesthesia. Blood loss averaged 9.5 ml for all patients, with a range of 1.2 to 48.4 ml. Operating time was the major variable influencing blood loss; the rate of blood loss correlated very strongly (r = 0.86) with duration of surgery. Other than palatal surgery of maxillary molars, differences in blood loss associated with different teeth were small. Endodontic surgery on any teeth in either arch was far below the level at which fluid replacement therapy might be considered, and was comparable to loss during single tooth extractions.