ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of interrupted suture under exercise position in total knee arthroplasty (TKA).MethodsEighty-four patients with osteoarthritis who were treated with TKA between July 2015 and July 2016 were enrolled in the study. All patients were randomly divided into control group and observation group with 42 cases in each group. There was no significant difference in gender, age, side, body mass index, and osteoarthritis grading between 2 groups (P>0.05). The incisions were interrupted sutured at the knee flexion position in control group and at the exercise position in observation group. Preoperative and postoperative treatments of 2 groups were same. The incision length, suture time, total tramadol usage, intraoperative blood loss, stitches removal time, hospitalization time, incidence of postoperative complication, the incision healing score (HWES), and satisfaction score of incisional self evaluation (Liktert score) were recorded and compared between 2 groups. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score was used to evaluate the incision pain at pre- and post-operation. The hospital for special surgery (HSS) score and range of motion (ROM) were also used to assess the knee function.ResultsThere was no significant difference in incision length, incidence of postoperative complication, HWES score, stitching time, and hospitalization time between 2 groups (P>0.05). The suture time, intraoperative blood loss, and Likter score were significantly lower in control group than those in observation group (P<0.05), but the total tramadol usage was significantly higher in control group than that in observation group (P<0.05). All patients were followed up. The follow-up time ranged from 12 to 24 months (mean, 14.7 months) in control group and from 12 to 23 months (mean, 15.3 months) in observation group. There was no significant difference in VAS scores between 2 groups before operation, before going to bed at the 1st day, and after suture removal (P>0.05). The VAS score of observation group after flexion and extension exercises at the 1st day was significantly lower than that of control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in HSS score and ROM between 2 groups before operation and at 12 months after operation (P>0.05). The HSS score and ROM in observation group at discharge and at 1, 3, and 6 months after operation were superior to those in control group (P<0.05).ConclusionCompared with interrupted suture at flexion knee position, the application of interrupted suture at exercise positon in TKA had the advantages of less postoperative pain and good incision healing, and can get satisfactory early joint function recovery. But significant difference in the long-term effectiveness of the two methods was not found.
ObjectiveTo summarize research progress of change in bone mineral density (BMD) after knee arthroplasty and its diagnostic methods, influencing factors, and drug prevention and treatment.MethodsThe relevant literature at home and abroad was reviewed and summarized from research status of the advantages and disadvantages of BMD assessment methods, the trend of changes in BMD after knee arthroplasty and its influencing factors, and the differences in effectiveness of drugs.ResultsThe central BMD and mean BMD around the prosthesis decrease after knee arthroplasty, which is closely associated with body position, age, weight, daily activities, and the fixation methods, design, and material of prosthesis. Denosumab, bisphosphonates, and teriparatide et al. can decrease BMD loss after knee arthroplasty.ConclusionBMD after knee arthroplasty decreases, which is related to various factors, but the mechanism is unclear. At present, some inhibitors of bone resorption can decrease BMD loss after knee arthroplasty. However, its long-term efficacy remains to be further explored.
Effective postoperative pain management in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty is an important part of the realization of enhanced recovery after surgery. Peripheral nerve block is of great significance to the control of postoperative pain, and clinicians are committed to finding a nerve block that has little impact on muscle strength and is conducive to the early recovery of motor function after total knee arthroplasty. Infiltration between the popliteal artery and capsule of the knee block can selectively block the sensory branch of the posterior end of the knee joint without affecting the motor branch of the common peroneal nerve, so that the muscle strength can be minimally affected under the condition of adequate analgesia. This article reviews the proposal of infiltration between the popliteal artery and capsule of the knee block, the approach and method of the block, and the advantages of combining with different nerve blocks for analgesia after total knee arthroplasty.
Objective To evaluate the analgesic efficacy of ultrasound-guided high fascia iliaca compartment block (HFICB) in managing tourniquet-related pain following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). MethodsA prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted involving 84 patients with severe knee osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis who underwent unilateral TKA between March 2024 and December 2024. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups (n=42) using a random number table. In the trial group, ultrasound-guided HFICB was performed preoperatively, with 0.2% ropivacaine injected into the fascia iliaca compartment. No intervention was administered in the control group. Baseline characteristics, including gender, age, surgical side, body mass index, and preoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) scores at rest and during movement, showed no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). In both groups, a tourniquet was applied after osteotomy and before pulsed lavage, and removed after the closure of the first layer of the joint capsule. Postoperative assessments were conducted at 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours, including VAS scores at the tourniquet site (at rest and during movement), Bromage motor block scores, Ramsay sedation scores, and Bruggrmann comfort scale (BCS) scores to evaluate patient comfort. Additionally, the average tramadol consumption and incidence of nausea and vomiting within 48 hours postoperatively were recorded and compared. Results In the trial group and control group, VAS scores during movement at the tourniquet site significantly improved at all postoperative time points compared to preoperative levels (P<0.05). VAS scores at rest increased transiently at 6 hours after operation in both groups, and then gradually decreased to the preoperative level. Except that there was no significant difference at 48 hours after operation in the trial group (P>0.05), there were significant differences at other time points of two groups compared to preoperative score (P<0.05). Except for VAS score at rest at 6 hours, VAS score during movement at 48 hours, and BCS comfort score at 48 hours (P>0.05), the trial group showed significantly better outcomes than the control group in terms of VAS score at rest, VAS score during movement, Ramsay sedation scores, and BCS comfort scores at all other time points (P<0.05). No significant difference was found in Bromage motor block scores between the groups (P>0.05). Tramadol was used in 3 patients in the trial group and 7 patients in the control group within 48 hours after operation, the dosage was (133.30±14.19) mg and (172.40±22.29) mg, showing significant difference (P<0.05). Nausea and vomiting occurred in 4 patients (9.5%) in the trial group and 3 patients (7.1%) in the control group, with no significant difference in incidence between groups (P>0.05). ConclusionUltrasound-guided HFICB provides effective analgesia for tourniquet-related pain following TKA, facilitates early postoperative functional recovery of the knee joint, and may serve as a valuable clinical option for postoperative pain management in TKA patients.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of one-stage total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in the treatment of advanced active knee tuberculosis. Methods The clinical data of 38 patients with advanced active knee tuberculosis who received one-stage TKA between January 2011 and December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 20 males and 18 females. The age ranged from 20 to 84 years, with an average of 52.8 years. The body mass index ranged from 17 to 36 kg/m2, with an average of 23.05 kg/m2. The preoperative C reactive protein (CRP) was (23.49±4.72) mg/L, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was (45.95±8.82) mm/1 h. The Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score was 48.8±9.1. During the operation, the infected lesions of the knee joint were completely removed, and the operative area was repeatedly soaked with 3% hydrogen peroxide solution and 0.5% povidone iodine solution. The intraoperative pathological examination confirmed the tuberculosis of the knee joint, and systemic anti-tuberculosis treatment was performed. The operation time, postoperative hospitalization stay, postoperative anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy time, and complications were recorded. CRP and ESR were recorded and compared before and after operation. Anteroposterior and lateral X-ray films of the knee joint were taken to evaluate whether the prosthesis had signs of loosening and sinking, and to determine whether there was recurrence of tuberculosis. The knee joint function was evaluated by HSS score. With treatment failure due to any reason as the end event, the survival time of prosthesis was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival curve. Results All operations were successfully completed without fracture, vascular and nerve injury, deep vein thrombosis, and other complications. All incisions healed by first intention after operation. The operation time ranged from 80 to 135 minutes, with an average of 102.76 minutes; postoperative hospitalization stay was 5-16 days, with an average of 9.7 days; the duration of postoperative anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy ranged from 1 to 18 months, and the median duration was 12 months. All 38 cases were followed up 3-133 months (mean, 63.7 months). At last follow-up, CRP was (4.88±1.24) mg/L and ESR was (13.00±2.97) mm/1 h, both of which were significantly lower than those before operation (t=20.647, P<0.001; t=20.886, P<0.001). During the follow-up, 3 patients (7.89%) had tuberculosis recurrence. Two patients had tuberculosis recurrence due to withdrawal of anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy at 1 and 2 months after operation, respectively. One patient was cured after debridement, preservation of prosthesis and anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy for 12 months, and 1 patient was cured after oral administration of anti-tuberculosis drugs for 12 months. Another 1 patient had recurrent tuberculosis and mixed infection (Corynebacterium gehreni) at 2 months after operation, and the infection was not controlled after debridement, and finally the thigh was amputated. Except for the patients with recurrent infection, no complications such as prosthesis loosening, periprosthetic fracture, and periprosthetic infection were found. At last follow-up, the HSS score of the knee joint was 86.8±4.8, and the knee joint function significantly improved when compared with that before operation (t=?31.198, P<0.001). Prosthesis survival time was (122.57±5.77) months [95%CI (111.25, 133.88) months], and the 10-year survival rate was 92.1%. Conclusion One-stage TKA combined with postoperative antituberculous chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced active knee tuberculosis can achieve satisfactory infection control and joint function.
Lower limb alignment and soft tissue balance are important factors affecting patient satisfaction, clinical functional outcome, and prosthetic long-term survival rate after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Robot-assisted TKA (rTKA) has the advantages of achieving precise osteotomy and soft tissue balance. However, rTKA under the guidance of classic mechanical alignment principles does not significantly improve the functional outcome after operation. The new TKA alignment principles, such as kinematic alignment (KA) and functional alignment (FA), can better consider the patient’s own knee joint morphology and kinematic characteristics, which may help improve the clinical results of TKA. With the help of more objective and accurate soft tissue balance assessment tool such as pressure sensors, KA and FA have been proven to better achieve soft tissue balance. rTKA can achieve non-neutral alignment goals such as KA or FA more accurately and reproducibly. The use of these lower limb alignment and soft tissue balancing strategies will be expected to further increase the patients’ satisfaction rate after rTKA.
ObjectiveTo compare the effectiveness of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in the treatment of severe medial compartment osteoarthritis (OA).MethodsA clinical data of 69 patients (69 knees), who underwent joint replacement due to severe medial compartment OA between February 2015 and September 2018 and met the selection criteria, was retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 38 cases were treated with UKA (UKA group) and 31 cases with TKA (TKA group). There was no significant difference in gender, age, body mass index, course of disease, lesion side, and preoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score, Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score, Feller score, range of motion of knee, physiological and psychological scores of short-form 12 health survey scale (SF-12) between the two groups (P>0.05). The femorotibial angle (FTA) of TKA group was bigger than that of UKA group, and hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA) was smaller, showing significant differences (P<0.05). The operative time, incision length, blood loss, time for flexion 90°, ambulation time, hospital stay, and incidence of deep venous thrombosis of lower extremity were recorded and compared between the two groups. The VAS score, HSS score, WOMAC score, Feller score, range of motion, and physiological and psychological scores of SF-12 were used to evaluate patients’ quality of life. FTA, HKA, and prosthesis looseness were observed by X-ray films. Kaplan-Merier survival analysis was used to evaluate the survival rate of prosthesis.ResultsAll operations were successfully completed in both groups. Compared with TKA group, UKA group had shorter incision length, longer operative time, and less blood loss (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in time for flexion 90°, ambulation time, hospital stay, and the incidence of deep venous thrombosis of lower extremity between the two groups (P>0.05). The incisions in both groups healed by first intention. During follow-up, 3 patients in the UKA group and 1 patient in the TKA group developed mild anterior knee pain. Patients were followed up (30.7±9.6) months in the UKA group and (34.9±8.7) months in the TKA group, and the difference was not significant (t=–1.832, P=0.071). At last follow-up, there were significant differences in the HSS score, Feller score, WOMAC score, range of motion, VAS score, and physiological and psychological scores of SF-12 between pre- and post-operation (P<0.05). The range of motion in the UKA group was bigger than that in the TKA group (Z=–2.666, P=0.008), and there was no significant difference in the other indexes between the two groups (P>0.05). X-ray films showed that the alignment of the two groups recovered well, and the FTA and HKA of the two groups were improved at 1 week after operation (P<0.05). No radiolucency was found around the prosthesis during follow-up, no prosthesis loosening and meniscal bearing dislocation occurred. The survival rates of the prostheses in the two groups were 100%.ConclusionFor severe medial compartment OA, the early survival rates of the two prostheses are similar, but UKA has less traumatic, can preserve the normal structure of the knee, and the range of motion of the knee after operation is significantly better than TKA.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of lateral condyle sliding osteotomy (LCSO) in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for the treatment of lateral femoral bowing deformity. Methods The clinical data of 17 patients with lateral femoral bowing deformity treated by LCSO during TKA between July 2018 and July 2020 was retrospectively analysed. There were 3 males and 14 females, with an average of 63.2 years (range, 58-68 years). The etiology of lateral femoral bowing deformity included 12 cases of femoral developmental deformity and 5 cases of femoral fracture malunion. Kellgren-Lawrence classification of knee osteoarthritis was 4 cases of grade Ⅲ and 13 cases of grade Ⅳ. The preoperative hip-knee shaft was 9.5°-12.5° (mean, 10.94°). The disease duration was 3-25 years (mean, 15.1 years). The mechanical lateral distal femur angle (mLDFA), hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA), and mechanical axis deviation (MAD) of the distal femur were measured before operation and at last follow-up to evaluate the correction of extra-articular deformities in the joints and the recovery of mechanical force lines of the lower extremities. The knee society score (KSS) knee score and function score, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, knee joint range of motion (ROM) were used to evaluate effectiveness. The knee varus/valgus stress test and osteotomy healing by X-ray films were performed to evaluate the joint stability and the safety of LCSO. Results All incisions of the patients healed by first intention after operation, and there was no early postoperative complication such as infection of the incision and deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremities. All 17 patients were followed up 12-36 months, with an average of 23.9 months. The osteotomy slices all achieved bony healing, and the healing time was 2-5 months, with an average of 3.1 months. After operation, the knee varus/valgus stress tests were negative, and there was no relaxation and rupture of the lateral collateral ligament, instability of the knee joint, loosening, revision and infection of the prosthesis occurred. At last follow-up, mLDFA, HKA, MAD, knee ROM, VAS score, KSS knee score and function score significantly improved when compared with preoperative ones (P<0.05). Conclusion LCSO is effective and safe in TKA with lateral femoral bowing deformity. Extra-articular deformities are corrected intra-articularly. The mechanical force line and joint balance of the lower extremities can be restored simultaneously in an operation.
Objective
To compare the efficacy and safety of intra-articular combined with intravenous administration of tranexamic acid (TXA) with different dosage for reducing blood loss in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
Methods
Between January 2017 and June 2017, 90 patients suffering from unilateral osteoarthritis who underwent primary TKA were randomly scheduled to three interventions, named groups A, B, and C. Single dosage of TXA via intravenous injection (IV) and different dosages of TXA via intra-articular injection (IA) were utilized in three groups, respectively. All patients in three groups received 1 g TXA IV at 10 minutes preoperatively, and received 1, 2, and 3 g TXA IA diluted in 50 mL saline after wound closure in groups A, B and C, respectively. The age, gender, body mass index, affected side of the knee, grade of osteoarthritis, grade of America Society of Anesthesiologist, preoperative hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, platelet count, preoperative prothrombin time, and activated partial thromboplastin time were not significantly different between groups (P>0.05). The postoperative wound blood drainage, Hb concentration at 1, 3, and 7 days after operation, transfusion rate, and thromboembolic complications were observed. All patients were routinely observed for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) by the color Doppler ultrasonography at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after operation, and the symptomatic pulmonary embolism (PE) were observed.
Results
All patients in three groups were followed up 7-12 months (mean, 8.4 months). There was no significant difference in operation time between groups (P>0.05). The postoperative wound blood drainage was significantly less in groups B and C than that in group A (P<0.05), whereas no significant difference was found between group B and group C (P>0.05). Incision skin necrosis occurred in 1 case of group B and fat liquefaction occurred in 1 case of group C. The other incisions of 3 groups healed by first intention. There was no significant difference in incision complication incidence between groups. The Hb concentration was significantly higher in groups B and C than that in group A at 1, 3, and 7 days after operation (P<0.05). While between group B and group C, the significant difference of Hb concentration only existed at 1 day after operation (P<0.05). The number of patients who got blood transfusion was significantly less in group B (4 cases, 13.3%) and group C (5 cases, 16.7%) than that in group A (9 cases, 30%) (P< 0.05), but no significant difference was found between group B and group C (P>0.05). The result of color Doppler ultrasonography showed that 1 case got DVT in the contralateral calf at 3 weeks in group B. And there was no symptomatic PE in 3 groups.
Conclusion
Combined administration of IV and IA TXA in a clinically relevant reduction in blood loss was effective and safe in primary TKA, and no thromboembolic complication was observed. The combination of 1 g IV with 2 g IA could be the optional choice.
ObjectiveTo review the perioperative blood management (PBM) of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA).MethodsRecent researches on PBM for TKA and THA were comprehensively read and summarized. Then the advantages and disadvantages of various measures together with the clinical experience of West China Hospital of Sichuan University were evaluated from three aspects, including optimizing hematopoiesis, reducing blood loss and blood transfusion, which could provide a basis for clinical selection.ResultsThere are many PBM methods in TKA and THA, among which the optimization of hematopoiesis mainly includes the application of perioperative iron and erythropoietin. Measures to reduce bleeding include the use of tourniquet, intraoperative controlled hypotension, and perioperative antifibrinolytic agents. Autologous blood transfusion includes preoperative autologous blood donation, hemodilution and cell salvage. Allogeneic blood transfusion is the ultimate treatment for anemia. The application of erythropoietin combined with iron therapy for blood mobilization before surgery together with intraoperative controlled hypotension for bleeding control and the multiple use of tranexamic acid can achieve satisfactory clinical results.ConclusionIn the perioperative period of TKA and THA, single or multiple use of different blood management measures should be considered carefully according to the physical and economic conditions of patients individually, so as to reduce the blood loss and allogeneic blood transfusion optimally, and finally accelerate the recovery of patients.
