Acta orthopaedica
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Pain control after total knee arthroplasty: a randomized trial comparing local infiltration anesthesia and continuous femoral block.
Pain after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is usually severe, and epidural analgesia or femoral nerve block has been considered to be an effective pain treatment. Recently, local infiltration analgesia (LIA) has become increasingly popular but the outcome of this method regarding the analgesic effect has not been fully evaluated. We compared local infiltration analgesia and femoral block with regard to analgesia and morphine demand during the first 24 h after TKA. ⋯ Both LIA and femoral block provide good analgesia after TKA. LIA may be considered to be superior to femoral block since it is cheaper and easier to perform.
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Despite the fact that C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and white blood cell (WBC) count are routine blood chemistry parameters for the early assessment of wound infection after surgical procedures, little is known about the natural history of their serum values after major and minimally invasive spinal procedures. ⋯ CRP is a predictable and responsive serum parameter in postoperative monitoring of inflammatory responses in patients undergoing spine surgery, whereas WBC kinetics is unspecific. We suggest that CRP could be measured on the day before surgery, on day 2 or 3 after surgery, and also between days 4 and 6, to aid in early detection of infectious complications.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
High-volume infiltration analgesia in bilateral hip arthroplasty. A randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial.
High-volume infiltration analgesia may be effective in postoperative pain management after hip arthroplasty but methodological problems prevent exact interpretation of previous studies. ⋯ Pain scores were low and similar between ropivacaine and saline administration. Median hospital stay was 4 (range 2-7) days. Interpretation Intraoperative high-volume infiltration with 0.2% ropivacaine with repeated intraarticular injections postoperatively may not give a clinically relevant analgesic effect in THA when combined with a multimodal oral analgesic regimen with gabapentin, celecoxib, and acetaminophen.
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Deep vein thrombosis is common after total joint replacement. It is frequently asymptomatic, and it is unclear whether this leads to longer-term problems such as post-thrombotic syndrome and leg ulceration. We investigated whether the postoperative prevalence of ulceration in patients who had undergone primary total hip replacement (THR) or total knee replacement (TKR) was higher than that found in a control group who had not undergone total joint replacement. ⋯ Patients who undergo THR and TKR without chemothromboprophylaxis are unlikely to be at a higher risk of long-term venous ulceration than the normal population.
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Fast-track surgery has reduced the length of hospital stay (LOS), morbidity, and convalescence in primary hip and knee arthroplasty (TKA). We assessed whether patients undergoing revision TKA for non-septic indications might also benefit from fast-track surgery. ⋯ Patients undergoing revision TKA for non-septic reasons may be included in fast-track protocols. Outcome appears to be similar to that of primary TKA regarding LOS, morbidity, and satisfaction. Our findings call for larger confirmatory studies and studies involving other indications (revision THA, 1-stage septic revisions).