Abstract
Introduction
Tourniquet use in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains controversial and few reports exist using contemporary pain protocols and tranexamic acid (TXA). This study aimed to examine whether a modern TKA protocol without a tourniquet results in less blood loss, patient-reported pain, and opioid consumption compared to TKAs with a tourniquet.
Methods
A retrospective study was performed on 210 consecutive primary cemented TKAs using computer-assisted navigation with or without tourniquet. The tourniquet was inflated the entire procedure or not at all, and sterile CO2 gas was used to maximise cement interdigitation in non-tourniquet knees. All patients received identical implants and underwent the same TKA perioperative protocols. Standardised inpatient pain level targets were utilised and medication titrated to control postoperative pain. Pain on a 10 point scale in the first 24 hours after surgery and blood loss (preoperative to postoperative day 1 decline in hemoglobin, total blood loss in liters, drain output in milliliters, and drain output per hour) were analyzed relative to tourniquet use.
Results
After exclusions for confounds, 184 consecutive TKAs (93 tourniquet; 91 tourniquetless) were analyzed. Age (p = 0.561) and BMI (p = 0.580) did not differ between the two groups. By chance, there were significantly more females in the tourniquet group (55.9%) compared to the no tourniquet group (44.1%) (p = 0.019). Consequently, outcome analyses were performed separately for females and males. Median pain in the first 24 hours was significantly lower for women without a tourniquet (1.9 vs. 2.7, p = 0.002). This corresponded to significantly less opioid consumption in the first 24 hours among women without tourniquets (18.8 vs. 42.8 Me, p < 0.0001). Neither pain nor opioid consumption in the first 24 hours differed based on tourniquet use in men (p ≥ 0.114). Not surprisingly, significantly more blood loss was observed on all four metrics in tourniquetless knees for both women (p ≤ 0.040) and men (p ≤ 0.020).
Discussion
In contemporary TKA using multi-modal pain protocols and TXA, not using a tourniquet resulted in less pain and lower narcotic consumption in the first 24 hours after surgery for women, but not for men. It is possible that women may be more affected by tourniquet-induced ischemia in the early postoperative period. These results are timely with current national initiatives to minimise perioperative opioid consumption.
