Abstract
Suction drains provide an easy and feasible method for controlling hemorrhage after total knee arthroplasty. However, there has been no compromise regarding the optimal clamping time for these drains. We conducted a randomized clinical trial to compare 12-hour drain clamping and continuous drainage after total knee arthroplasty in terms of wound complications, blood loss and articular range of motion. In order to eliminate any other factor except duration of clamping, we chose to compare knees belonging to one single person, as well as restricting the study to those knees undergoing surgery due to osteoarthritis. From a total of 100 knees (50 patients) studied, the 12-hour clamping method resulted in a significantly smaller amount of post-operative blood loss (p<0.001). The passive ranges of motion and wound complications were not significantly different between the two groups.
