• Yiting Lei, Zeyu Huang, Qiang Huang, Fuxing Pei, and Wei Huang.
• Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China.
• Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2022 Apr 1; 142 (4): 665-672.

BackgroundThe optimal dose regimen of dexamethasone in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has not been determined. This study was performed to evaluate the impact of a single preoperative high-dose dexamethasone compared with two perioperative low-dose dexamethasone in TKA.Materials And MethodsWe prospectively studied three regimens on dexamethasone: no dexamethasone (A), a single preoperative dose of 20-mg dexamethasone (B), and two perioperative doses of 10-mg dexamethasone (C). The primary outcome was postoperative pain level. The incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), use of analgesic and antiemetic rescue, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, range of motion (ROM), and complications were also compared.ResultsThe dynamic pain scores and CRP and IL-6 levels were significantly lower for Group B compared to Groups A and C on postoperative days 1 and 2 (POD 1 and 2). Such differences were also detected between Groups C and A. Besides, the pain scores at rest were significantly lower in Groups B and C than in Group A on POD 1 and 2. Patients in Groups B and C had a lower incidence of PONV, reduced use of analgesic and antiemetic rescue, and improved ROM than in Group A. No complications occurred in any group.ConclusionDexamethasone in TKA provides short-term advantages in analgesic, antiemetic and anti-inflammatory effects. Besides, regarding the effects of pain and inflammatory control on POD 1 and 2, a single preoperative high dose of 20-mg dexamethasone was more effective than two perioperative low doses of 10-mg dexamethasone.Level Of EvidenceI.© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

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