Der Orthopäde
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Review Comparative Study
[The value of regional and general anaesthesia in orthopaedic surgery].
Adequate postoperative pain management is of major importance for a short rehabilitation time after painful orthopaedic surgery. Multimodal pathways have been established to achieve a surgical patient free of pain and complications. Peripheral and central nerve blocks are a fundamental part of these interdisciplinary strategies and are already implemented in orthopaedic surgical care. This article summarises the value of special anaesthetic techniques, especially regional anaesthesia, in orthopaedic surgery and discusses their impact on several postoperative outcome goals.
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Review Comparative Study
[Foreign blood saving measures in orthopedic surgery].
Major transfusion-free orthopaedic surgery can be performed successfully. This requires advanced planning, good routines and close collaborative team efforts. ⋯ For various reasons, we do not recommend the transfusion of wound drainage. This article describes the various methods for bloodless medical care.
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Under-treatment of acute postoperative pain can lead to chronic pain with neuronal plasticity and result in poor surgical outcomes. A multimodal approach is therefore necessary to reduce postoperative pain by combining various analgesics with a non-pharmacological strategy. ⋯ Adequate pain control is an important prerequisite for the application of rehabilitation programmes and will thereby influence functional outcome. In addition, patient satisfaction, as a major benchmarking factor after surgical treatment, is significantly influenced by the quality of postoperative pain management.
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Review Comparative Study
[Standards and perspectives for thromboembolism prophylaxis].
Thromboembolic complications are one of the most severe complications after orthopaedic or trauma surgery. More than 50% of patients undergoing total knee replacement are at risk of suffering deep-vein thrombosis if not provided sufficient prophylaxis. The former standard prophylaxis with unfractionated heparin has been changed over the few last years to low molecular weight heparin or heparinoids, due to the increased incidence of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia under therapy with unfractionated heparin. ⋯ However, because of a higher risk of bleeding, this pentasaccharide can be only given 6-8 h after surgery. Low molecular weight heparins and the pentasaccharide are the standard pharmacological prophylaxis for the prevention of venous thromboembolism. Physical therapy, pneumatic compression, A-V impulse systems, passive ankle motion systems and graduated compression stockings are an additional, effective prophylaxis without side effects.