To our knowledge, we are the only centre in the UK where Achilles tenotomies (TA) for CTEV Ponseti correction are performed in outpatient clinic under local anaesthetic by an Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner (APP) in orthopaedics. This study aims to present the outcomes and safety of this practice. Retrospective analysis of cases of idiopathic CTEV undergoing Ponseti correction January 2020 to October 2022. Demographic data: Pirani score and number of casts before boots and bar. Patients were divided into five groups: Group 1: TA performed by an Orthopaedic consultant under general anaesthetic (GA) in theatre. Group 2: TA performed by an Orthopaedic consultant under local anaesthetic (LA) in theatre. Group 3: TA performed by APP under GA in theatre. Group 4: TA performed by APP under LA in theatre. Group 5: TA performed by an APP under LA in outpatient clinic. Complications recorded: revision TA, infection, neurovascular injury or need for re-casting. Mean follow up 18 months. 45 feet included. Mean Pirani score 5.5, age started casting 33 days and total number of casts 6. No significant difference in demographic details between groups. 6, 4, 20, 5 and 10 tenotomies were performed in groups 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 respectively. Complications were 1 revision tenotomy from group 2, one from group 4 and 1 renewal of cast from 3. This study demonstrates that TAs performed in outpatient clinic under LA by an APP is safe and feasible. No increase in complications were observed compared to TAs performed by orthopaedic consultants

Background. There are several case reports of chondrolysis following joint arthroscopy. Continuous post-operative infusion of local anaesthetic solutions, especially 0.5% Bupivacaine, has been implicated as the causative factor in many of these cases. Recent in vitro studies have shown that even a single exposure of articular cartilage to different local anaesthetic solutions can cause apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction in chondrocytes leading to cell death. There is currently no study looking at methods to prevent this toxicity of local anaesthetic solutions to articular cartilage. Glucosamine has a protective and reparative effect on articular cartilage and a Cochrane review in 2007 found that it provides mild benefit in pain and function in patients with arthritis. Aims. Oncologic: To compare the effect of a single exposure, in vitro, of different local anaesthetic solutions on human articular cartilage. To investigate the protective and reparative effects of Glucosamine on articular cartilage exposed to 0.5% Bupivacaine. Methods. Chondral explants (n = 354) were obtained from femoral heads of 14 fracture neck of patients undergoing hemiarthroplasty. To compare the effect of local anaesthetics, each specimen was exposed to one of 8 test solutions for one hour. After this exposure, the specimens were washed and incubated in culture medium containing radio-labelled 35-sulphur for 16 hours. The unbound radioactivity was then washed off and the chondral specimens were digested with proteinase for 24 hours. The uptake of 35-S by each specimen was measured and this gave an estimate of proteoglycan metabolism. Test solutions: 1. 1% Lidocaine; 2. 2% Lidocaine; 3. 0.25% Bupivacaine; 4. 0.5% Bupivacaine,. 5. 0.5% Levo-Bupivacaine; 6. Control solution of M199 culture medium. 7. To investigate its protective effect, 100 micrograms of Glucosamine was added along with 0.5% Bupivacaine; 8. To investigate the reparative effect of Glucosamine, the specimen was exposed to 0.5% Bupivacaine for one hour. After washing, 100 mcg of Glucosamine was added to the culture medium in which the chondral specimen was incubated. Results. Compared to the control culture medium, the inhibition of proteoglycan metabolism was 54% with 1% Lidocaine (p<0.001), 75% with 2% Lidocaine (p<0.01), 50% with 0.25% Bupivacaine (p = 0.04), 78% with 0.5% Bupivacaine (p<0.001) and 73% with 0.5% Levo-Bupivacaine (p<0.001). Adding Glucosamine for protection reduced the toxicity of 0.5% Bupivacaine to 43%, compared to 78% without. However, Glucosamine was not able to repair the damage caused by 0.5% Bupivacaine, with inhibition of proteoglycan metabolism at 70% even after 16 hours of incubation. Conclusion. All local anaesthetic solutions tested were toxic to articular cartilage, 0.5% Bupivacaine being the worst offender. Higher concentrations were more harmful. The addition of Glucosamine to 0.5% Bupivacaine protected against its toxicity to articular cartilage but was not able to repair the damage caused

Introduction. New methods to reduce inpatient stay, post-operative complications and recovery time are continually being sought in surgery. Many factors affect length of hospital stay, such as, analgesia, patient and surgeon expectations, as well as provision of nursing care and physiotherapy. Development of the use of postoperative local anaesthetic infiltration delivered intra-articularly by a catheter appears to be an effective analgesic method which reduces patient's opioid requirements and allows early physiotherapy without motor blockade of muscles. Our study aimed to explore if the use of local anaesthetic infiltration intra-articularly following joint athroplasty affected the patient's duration of hospitalisation. Methods. Looking retrospectively at arthroplasty audit data, we compared two groups of age and sex-matched patients who underwent primary hip arthroplasty (replacement and resurfacing) and knee arthroplasty performed by a single surgeon using the same surgical techniques. The surgeon began to utilize local anesthetic infiltration intra-articularly in 2009. The first group included patients operated on the year prior to the change and the second group were those operated on within a year of the change of practice. There were 103 patients (27 resurfacings, 28 knees, 48 hips) in the local anaesthetic group and 141 patients (48 resurfacings, 36 knees, 64 hips) in the non-local anaesthetic group. The length of stay was investigated for plausible Normality using the Shapiro Wilks statistic. Between-treatment group differences were examined using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Factors observed were, use of local anaesthetic (yes/no), joint (hip/knee) and day of surgery (weekend/not weekend). Between treatment group differences in gender and complications were investigated using Chi-squared methods. Results. Patients who received local anaesthetic had shorter stays, irrespective of the joint or day of operation. Patients undergoing hip arthroplasty discharged sooner when local anaesthetic was used compared with those without (mean 4.0 days and 4.4 days respectively P=0.04). Patients undergoing knee replacement also discharged sooner when local anaesthetic was used compared with those without (mean 4.9 days and 6.1 days respectively P=0.09). When knee and hip figures were combined and analysed to measure the significance of effects of treatment on the length of stay, local anaesthetic use was found to be statistically significant in reducing length of stay (P=0.01). There were no between-treatment group differences in proportions of complications, gender or day of surgery. Conclusion. The findings of this study highlight that local anaesthetic infiltration reduces duration of in-patient stay following knee and hip joint athroplasty and there is no associated significant increase in immediate post-operative complications

Introduction. The peri-operative analgesic management of patients having either Total Knee Replacement (TKR) or Unicompartmental Knee Replacement (UKR) is an area that continues to have prominence, driven in part by the desire to reduce hospital stay, while maintaining high patient satisfaction. This is particularly relevant in the current climate of healthcare cost savings. We evaluated the role of “top up” intra-articular local anaesthetic injection after identifying that an appreciable number of patients in the unit suffered “breakthrough pain” on the first post-op day, when the effects of local analgesia are wearing off. Method. 43 patients, who were scheduled to have a cemented Oxford UKR, were prospectively recruited and randomised. All patients had the same initial anaesthetic regime of general anaesthesia, femoral nerve block and intra-operative intra-articular infiltration of the cocktail. All patients had a 16G multi-holed epidural catheter placed intra-articularly prior to wound closure. Patients had the same operative technique, post operative rehabilitation and rescue analgesia. An independent observer recorded post-operative pain scores using a visual analogue score (1–10) every 6 hours and any rescue analgesia that was required. On the morning after surgery, 22 patients, (Group I), received 20 mls of 0.5% bupivicaine through the catheter whilst 21 patients, (Group II), had 20 mls of normal saline by the same observer, (who was blinded to the contents of the solution being injected), after which the catheter was removed. Results. When comparing these two groups there was no statistical difference found in their pain scores on the day of operation. However, patients in Group I had a significantly better pain score initially post top up and then at 6 hours (2.4 (0–8) vs 5.7 (2–9), Mann-Whitney p<0.001). This cohort of patients required less rescue analgesia (22% vs 75%, Mann-Whitney p<0.001). In addition, Group I had statistically significant higher patient satisfaction outcome scores after the infiltration, (p<0.001), with 16 reporting very good satisfaction in comparison to 1 in Group II. There were no complications in either group. Discussion. Our study has shown that injection of local anaesthesia via an intra-articular catheter does reduce pain scores when compared to placebo. This implies that this technique may have a role in providing optimal pain relief after UKR

Aims. National hip fracture registries audit similar aspects of care but there is variation in the actual data collected; these differences restrict international comparison, benchmarking, and research. The Fragility Fracture Network (FFN) published a revised minimum common dataset (MCD) in 2022 to improve consistency and interoperability. Our aim was to assess compatibility of existing registries with the MCD. Methods. We compared 17 hip fracture registries covering 20 countries (Argentina; Australia and New Zealand; China; Denmark; England, Wales, and Northern Ireland; Germany; Holland; Ireland; Japan; Mexico; Norway; Pakistan; the Philippines; Scotland; South Korea; Spain; and Sweden), setting each of these against the 20 core and 12 optional fields of the MCD. Results. The highest MCD adherence was demonstrated by the most recently established registries. The first-generation registries in Scandinavia collect data for 60% of MCD fields, second-generation registries (UK, other European, and Australia and New Zealand) collect for 75%, and third-generation registries collect data for 85% of MCD fields. Five of the 20 core fields were collected by all 17 registries (age; sex; surgery date/time of operation; surgery type; and death during acute admission). Two fields were collected by most (16/17; 94%) registries (date/time of presentation and American Society of Anesthesiologists grade), and five more by the majority (15/17; 88%) registries (type, side, and pathological nature of fracture; anaesthetic modality; and discharge destination). Three core fields were each collected by only 11/17 (65%) registries: prefracture mobility/activities of daily living; cognition on admission; and bone protection medication prescription. Conclusion. There is moderate but improving compatibility between existing registries and the FFN MCD, and its introduction in 2022 was associated with an improved level of adherence among the most recently established programmes. Greater interoperability could be facilitated by improving consistency of data collection relating to prefracture function, cognition, bone protection, and follow-up duration, and this could improve international collaborative benchmarking, research, and quality improvement. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2023;105-B(9):1013–1019

This study aimed to assess the outcomes of patients with complex rib fractures undergoing operative or non-operative management at our center over a six-year time period. Retrospective analysis was performed to identify all patients with complex rib fractures at our center from May 2016 to September 2022. Outcome measures included mechanical ventilation, tracheostomy, pneumonia, and mortality at one year. 388 patients with complex rib fractures were identified. 37 (10%) patients fulfilled criteria for surgical management and underwent rib fracture fixation; 351 patients were managed non-operatively with anaesthetic block or analgesia alone. The fixation group had a significantly higher proportion of patients with flail chest (30 (81%) vs 94 (27%), p<0.001) and were significantly more likely to require ICU admission (30 (81%) vs. 16 (5%), p<0.001) than the non-operative group. At one year follow-up, no significant differences were seen for mortality between these groups (1 (3%) vs. 27 (7%), p=0.276). Of the surgical management group, those that underwent fixation <72 hours post injury were significantly less likely to develop pneumonia than those who were delayed >72 hours (2 (18%) vs 15 (58%), p=0.038), with downward trends noted for ICU length of stay (6 vs 10 days, p=0.140) and duration of mechanical ventilation (5 vs 8 days, p=0.177); no significant differences were seen for tracheostomy (3 vs. 5, p=0.588) or mortality (0 vs 1, p=0.856). Surgical fixation of complex rib fractures improves outcomes in selected patient groups. Early surgical fixation led to reduced rates of pneumonia and may improve other outcome measures

Aims. The primary aim was to assess the independent influence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on 30-day mortality for patients with a hip fracture. The secondary aims were to determine whether: 1) there were clinical predictors of COVID-19 status; and 2) whether social lockdown influenced the incidence and epidemiology of hip fractures. Methods. A national multicentre retrospective study was conducted of all patients presenting to six trauma centres or units with a hip fracture over a 46-day period (23 days pre- and 23 days post-lockdown). Patient demographics, type of residence, place of injury, presentation blood tests, Nottingham Hip Fracture Score, time to surgery, operation, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade, anaesthetic, length of stay, COVID-19 status, and 30-day mortality were recorded. Results. Of 317 patients with acute hip fracture, 27 (8.5%) had a positive COVID-19 test. Only seven (26%) had suggestive symptoms on admission. COVID-19-positive patients had a significantly lower 30-day survival compared to those without COVID-19 (64.5%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 45.7 to 83.3 vs 91.7%, 95% CI 88.2 to 94.8; p < 0.001). COVID-19 was independently associated with increased 30-day mortality risk adjusting for: 1) age, sex, type of residence (hazard ratio (HR) 2.93; p = 0.008); 2) Nottingham Hip Fracture Score (HR 3.52; p = 0.001); and 3) ASA (HR 3.45; p = 0.004). Presentation platelet count predicted subsequent COVID-19 status; a value of < 217 × 10. 9. /l was associated with 68% area under the curve (95% CI 58 to 77; p = 0.002) and a sensitivity and specificity of 63%. A similar number of patients presented with hip fracture in the 23 days pre-lockdown (n = 160) and 23 days post-lockdown (n = 157) with no significant (all p ≥ 0.130) difference in patient demographics, residence, place of injury, Nottingham Hip Fracture Score, time to surgery, ASA, or management. Conclusion. COVID-19 was independently associated with an increased 30-day mortality rate for patients with a hip fracture. Notably, most patients with hip fracture and COVID-19 lacked suggestive symptoms at presentation. Platelet count was an indicator of risk of COVID-19 infection. These findings have implications for the management of hip fractures, in particular the need for COVID-19 testing. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2020;102-B(9):1219–1228

According to the Scottish Arthroplasty Project the mean inpatient LoS following a Total Hip Replacement (THR) has fallen from 10.3 days in 2001 to only 3.9 days. This reduction in patient LoS has lead units in the UK to follow the example of centres around the world in offering THR as a day case procedure. In this study we examine data gathered from the first 18 months of day case THR within a district general hospital elective orthopaedics unit. Data was collected prospectively from all patients undergoing THR within our district general hospital elective orthopaedic unit. Patients were selected to day case THR group via consultant review at outpatient clinic and anaesthetic assessment at pre-assessment clinics. Between August 2018 and February 2020 (18 months) 40 patients successfully underwent day case THR. None of the patients discharged home where readmitted within the next 30 days. The average age of successful day case THRs was 60 years old. The at 6 months post-op mean OHS was 45.1 and at 1 year post-op the mean score was 47.2. The average improvement in OHS was 21.1 at 6 months and 26.9 at 1 year post-op. All of the patients successfully discharged as day cases where satisfied with their care and all but one would recommend it to their friends and family. We have shown that day case THR is not only possible within an NHS district general hospital but gives exceptional patient outcomes with excellent patient satisfaction

The aims were: (1) assess the influence of COVID-19 on mortality in hip fracture; (2) identify predictors of COVID-19 status, and (3) investigate whether social lockdown influenced the epidemiology of hip fracture. A multicentre retrospective study was conducted of all patients presenting to six hospitals with hip fracture over a 46-day period (23 days pre-/post-lockdown). Demographics, residence, place of injury, presentation blood tests, Nottingham Hip Fracture Score, time to surgery, operation, ASA grade, anaesthetic, length of stay, COVID-19 status, and 30-day mortality were recorded. Of 317 patients with hip fracture 27 (8.5%) had a positive COVID-19 test; only 7 (26%) had symptoms on admission. COVID-19-positive patients had significantly lower 30-day survival compared to those without COVID-19 (67% versus 92%, p<0.001). COVID-19 was independently associated with increased 30-day mortality adjusting for: (1) age, sex, residence (HR 2.93, p=0.008); (2) Nottingham Hip Fracture Score (HR 3.52, p=0.001), and (3) ASA (HR 3.45, p=0.004). Platelet count predicted subsequent COVID-19 status; a value <217 ×109/L was 68% specific and sensitive (95% CI 58 to 77, p=0.002). A similar number of patients presented with hip fracture pre-lockdown (n=160) and post-lockdown (n=157); there was no significant difference in demographics, place of injury, Nottingham Hip Fracture Score, time to surgery, ASA, or management. COVID-19 was independently associated with an increased 30-day mortality in hip fracture. Most patients with COVID-19 lacked suggestive symptoms at presentation. Platelet count was an indicator of risk of COVID-19 infection. These findings have urgent implications for the delivery of hip fracture services

We investigated the relationship between a number of patient and management variables and mortality after surgery for fracture of the hip. Data relating to 18 817 patients were obtained from the Scottish Hip Fracture Audit database. We divided variables into two categories, depending on whether they were case-mix (age; gender; fracture type; pre-fracture residence; pre-fracture mobility and ASA scores) or management variables (time from fracture to surgery; time from admission to surgery; grade of surgical and anaesthetic staff undertaking the procedure and anaesthetic technique). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that all case-mix variables were strongly associated with post-operative mortality, even when controlling for the effects of the remaining variables. Inclusion of the management variables into the case-mix base regression model provided no significant improvement to the model. Patient case-mix variables have the most significant effect on post-operative mortality and unfortunately such variables cannot be modified by pre-operative medical interventions

Introduction. The concept of the golden patient (GP) was introduced to our busy teaching district general hospital, in April 2009, to improve trauma theatre start times following disappointing results from a previous in-hospital study. The GP is a pre-selected first patient on the following day trauma list who is medically fit with a clear surgical plan. The GP should have already been seen by an anaesthetist and be ready to be sent for by theatres early. It has been shown by others to improve operation start times and could be used to improve trauma services and meet clinical targets more readily. Methods. This prospective study involved the collection of planned trauma lists with the designated GP over November and December 2009. Data was collected from the theatre logbooks, including patient demographics, theatre reception, anaesthetic and operation start times. This was compared with the pre-GP data (January and February 2009). Graphs showing the comparative mean start times between pre-GP and GP trauma lists, including the 95% confidence interval for the population mean were created. A two sample T test was used to evaluate significance between groups. Results. Of the 55 planned trauma lists analysed, 42 had a designated GP on it (76%), 37 of which remained first on the actual trauma list (88%). The mean theatre reception arrival time for the pre-GP lists was 09:25 compared to 09:01 for the actual GP lists (P<0.001). The mean anaesthetic start time for the pre-GP lists was 09:35 compared to 09:09 for the actual GP lists (P<0.001). The mean operation start time for the pre-GP lists was 10:03 compared to 09:33 for the actual GP lists (P<0.001); the mean operation start time was reduced by 30 minutes if the GP remained first on the trauma list. The reception, anaesthetic and operation start times for pre-GP lists compared with lists where no GP was selected were not statistically significant suggesting that the GP was the cause of the significance. The mean anaesthetic review time was 08:31. Conclusion. The concept of the GP has made a significant improvement to theatre start times. By implementing the GP for each trauma list and obtaining a timely anaesthetic review our research indicates that the times could be improved by a further 31 minutes, resulting in a 61 minute improvement in overall operation start times. The GP has benefitted orthopaedic surgeons, anaesthetists, theatre staff and importantly patients. A more planned approach has improved efficiency and taken the stress away from organising and conducting a trauma list. Our experience supports this concept being used widely to improve trauma care in the UK setting

We compared the outcome of patients treated for an intertrochanteric fracture of the femoral neck with a locked, long intramedullary nail with those treated with a dynamic hip screw (DHS) in a prospective randomised study. Each patient who presented with an extra-capsular hip fracture was randomised to operative stabilisation with either a long intramedullary Holland nail or a DHS. We treated 92 patients with a Holland nail and 98 with a DHS. Pre-operative variables included the Mini Mental test score, patient mobility, fracture pattern and American Society of Anesthesiologists grading. Peri-operative variables were anaesthetic time, operating time, radiation time and blood loss. Post-operative variables were time to mobilising with a frame, wound infection, time to discharge, time to fracture union, and mortality. We found no significant difference in the pre-operative variables. The mean anaesthetic and operation times were shorter in the DHS group than in the Holland nail group (29.7 vs 40.4 minutes, p < 0.001; and 40.3 vs 54 minutes, p < 0.001, respectively). There was an increased mean blood loss within the DHS group versus the Holland nail group (160 ml vs 78 ml, respectively, p < 0.001). The mean time to mobilisation with a frame was shorter in the Holland nail group (DHS 4.3 days, Holland nail 3.6 days, p = 0.012). More patients needed a post-operative blood transfusion in the DHS group (23 vs seven, p = 0.003) and the mean radiation time was shorter in this group (DHS 0.9 minutes vs Holland nail 1.56 minutes, p < 0.001). The screw of the DHS cut out in two patients, one of whom underwent revision to a Holland nail. There were no revisions in the Holland nail group. All fractures in both groups were united when followed up after one year. We conclude that the DHS can be implanted more quickly and with less exposure to radiation than the Holland nail. However, the resultant blood loss and need for transfusion is greater. The Holland nail allows patients to mobilise faster and to a greater extent. We have therefore adopted the Holland nail as our preferred method of treating intertrochanteric fractures of the hip

Background. Many patients undergo frame removal in the outpatient setting and nitrous oxide is frequently used, but has varying effects. The aim of the study was to ascertain whether pain levels during frame removal are improved with local infiltration of local anaesthetic (LA) and to assess the effect of LA and nitrous oxide compared to nitrous oxide alone. Methodology. This was a small single centre study using patient reported questions to assess pain levels during frame removal. The test group received 5–20ml 2% lidocaine infiltrated into tissues surrounding half pins and olive wire exit sites. All patients were asked to complete a questionnaire to assess pain levels and patient satisfaction following the procedure. Patients were asked to mark their pain level on a 100mm visual analogue scale giving a final pain score out of 100. Results. There were twenty three patients in the LA group but due to observed levels of increased distress without LA, the control group was restricted to 7 patients. Patient satisfaction was high and there were no complications across both groups. The LA group (N=23) had a mean pain score of 35, which was significantly lower than the mean of 62 in the N=7 control patients (unpaired t-test: p=0.010). Conclusion. Frame removal in clinic has been shown to be a safe and well tolerated procedure and this study has shown that LA does improve pain levels during frame removal. Further work to compare pain levels and patient satisfaction with alternative frame removal methods at other centres is being carried out

Aims

The aim of this study was to compare the early postoperative mortality and morbidity in older patients with a fracture of the femoral neck, between those who underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA) and those who underwent hemiarthroplasty.

The CALEDonian Technique™, promoting enhanced recovery after surgery, is a multimodal multidisciplinary technique. This has demonstrated excellent analgesic control allowing early mobilisation and discharge following TKA, whilst maintaining patient safety. All patients follow a planned programme beginning with pre-operative out-patient education at the pre-assessment visit. An anaesthetic regimen consisting of pre-emptive analgesia is combined with a spinal/epidural with propofol sedation. Intra-articular local anaesthetic soft tissue wound infiltration by the surgeon under direct vision is supplemented by post-operative high volume intermittent boluses via an intra-articular catheter. Early active mobilisation is positively encouraged. A prospective audit of over 1000 patients demonstrated 35% of patients mobilised on day 0 and 95% by day 1, with rescue analgesia required in only 5% of cases. 79% of patients experienced no nausea or vomiting helping reduce length of stay from six to four postoperative days. A catheterisation rate of 7%, a DVT rate of 0.6% and a PE rate of 0.5% remained within or below previously published levels. Laboratory studies examining the performance of the epidural filter and injection technique used for the post-operative intra-articular injections demonstrated this to be robust and effective at preventing bacterial ingress. This in-vitro data is supported by clinical results demonstrating no increase in the deep infection rate of 0.7% since the implementation of the technique at our institution. We conclude that the CALEDonian Technique™ effectively and safely improves patient post-operative recovery following TKA

Aims

Ankle fractures are common injuries and the third most common fragility fracture. In all, 40% of ankle fractures in the frail are open and represent a complex clinical scenario, with morbidity and mortality rates similar to hip fracture patients. They have a higher risk of complications, such as wound infections, malunion, hospital-acquired infections, pressure sores, veno-thromboembolic events, and significant sarcopaenia from prolonged bed rest.

Aims

The aim of this study was to describe the current pathways of care for patients with a fracture of the hip in five low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) in South Asia (Nepal and Sri Lanka) and Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines).

Aims

The use of multimodal non-opioid analgesia in hip fractures, specifically acetaminophen combined with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), has been increasing. However, the effectiveness and safety of this approach remain unclear. This study aimed to compare postoperative outcomes among patients with hip fractures who preoperatively received either acetaminophen combined with NSAIDs, NSAIDs alone, or acetaminophen alone.

Background. For some time, optimized perioperative pathway protocols have been implemented in orthopedic surgery. In our hospital an accelerated clinical pathway has been successfully in effect for several years, focused on safely decreasing patients' length of stay and increasing their function at the time of discharge. The aim of the present project was to evaluate whether a further optimization is even more promising regarding early postoperative outcome parameters. Materials and Methods. Prospective, parallel group design in an Orthopaedic University Medical Centre. 143 patients, scheduled for unilateral primary total knee replacement (TKR) under perioperative regional analgesia were included. 76 patients received a Standard Accelerated Clinical Pathway (SACP). 67 patients received an Optimized Accelerated Clinical Pathway (OACP) including patient-controlled regional analgesia pumps, ultra-early/doubled physiotherapy and motor driven continuous passive motion machine units. Main measures were early postoperative pain on a visual analogue scale, consumption of regional anaesthetics, knee range of motion, time out of bed, walking distance/stair climbing, circumference measurements and Knee Society Scores of the operated leg. Patients in both groups were checked for a possible discharge by a blinded orthopedic surgeon on the 5th and 8th postoperative (po) day, using a discharge checklist including the KATZ Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living, standard requirements for pain at rest/mobilization, walking distance and regular wound healing. A potential discharge was only approved if the patient was able to meet all six criteria from the discharge checklist. Re-admission within 6 weeks after discharge from hospital was registered. Results. Patients within the OACP had significant benefits regarding stair climbing/walking distance/time-out-of bed/circumference measurements of the thigh/Knee Society function score on the 5th po day and stair climbing/circumference measurements of the thigh on the 8th po day, and reduction of the consumption of regional anaesthetics. No significant reduction in length of stay was observed. Discussion. Early postoperative functional process indicators tended to be higher within the OACP group, but the main effects flatten in the course of the first eight postoperative days. Further, prospective randomised clinical trials with uniform, objective discharge criteria are needed

High volume infiltration with local anaesthetics (LIA) during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for postoperative pain relief may be beneficial as compared to traditional methods. Retransfusion drains are used in TKA as alternative for allogeneic blood transfusions. When combining both modalities, recollected blood may contain large doses of local anaesthetics potentially leading to systemic toxicity during retransfusion. We investigated the safety of combining LIA and retransfusion of shed blood. Twenty patients scheduled for primary TKA were included. During surgery two peri-articular injections with ropivacaine (total 375 mg) were given. Patients received an intraarticular retransfusion drain and a wound catheter for continuous infusion of ropivacaine (8 mg/hr) for 24 hours. Blood collected in the retransfusion device, was not retransfused but used for laboratory analyses. Patients’ blood samples were taken immediately after surgery, 3, 6 and 24 hours postoperatively. We predicted cumulative ropivacaine concentrations using patient and shed blood samples from 6 hours postoperatively. We modelled instant retransfusion by estimating the cumulative plasma concentrations. Our safety threshold was 0.15 mg/L unbound ropivacaine in a venous plasma sample, based on literature. Total ropivacaine concentration was highest 24 hours postoperatively and unbound ropivacaine was maximal predominantly at 6 hours. Total ropivacaine concentrations ranged from 0.7 to 1.9 mg/L and unbound ropivacaine concentrations varied between 0.03 and 0.11 mg/L. At 6 hours median shed blood volume was 600 mL (range 303–869 mL). Interestingly was the difference (mean ± SD) in free fraction ropivacaine, in shed blood (68.8–4.6%) and in plasma (4.8 ± 1.1%). Assuming retransfusion, an average 13 mg (range 6–18mg) of unbound ropivacaine would have been administered intravenously. The model used to estimate cumulative ropivacaine plasma levels showed that instant retransfusion potentially would have led to unbound venous plasma concentrations of above 0.15 mg/L. Under the conditions in our study it is safe to use LIA in combination with continuous infusion of ropivacaine. However, in combination with the retransfusion of shed blood collected with the Bellovac ABT system this may lead to toxic levels. Before implementing the combination of both modalities formal testing is required