Objectives. Effective analgesia after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) improves
patient satisfaction, mobility and expedites discharge. This study
assessed whether continuous femoral nerve infusion (CFNI) was superior
to a single-shot femoral nerve block in primary TKA surgery completed
under subarachnoid blockade including morphine. Methods. We performed an adequately powered, prospective, randomised,
placebo-controlled trial comparing CFNI of 0.125% bupivacaine versus normal
saline following a single-shot femoral nerve block and subarachnoid
anaesthesia with intrathecal morphine for primary TKA. Patients
were randomised to either treatment (CFNI 0 ml to 10 ml/h 0.125%
bupivacaine) or placebo (CFNI 0 ml to 10 ml/h normal saline). Both
groups received a single-shot femoral nerve block (0.25% 20 ml bupivacaine)
prior to placement of femoral nerve catheter and subarachnoid anaesthesia with
intrathecal morphine. All patients had a standardised analgesic
protocol. The primary end point was post-operative visual analogue
scale (VAS) pain score over 72 hours post-surgery. Secondary outcomes
were morphine equivalent dose, range of movement, side effects,
and length of stay. Results. A total of 86 patients were recruited. Treatment and placebo
groups were comparable. No significant difference was found in VAS
pain scores, total morphine equivalent requirements, side effects,
range of movement, motor
Wound complications are reported in up to 10% hip and knee arthroplasties and there is a proven association between wound complications and deep prosthetic infections. In this randomised controlled trial (RCT) we explore the potential benefits of a portable, single use, incisional negative pressure wound therapy dressing (iNPWTd) on wound exudate, length of stay (LOS), wound complications, dressing changes and cost-effectiveness following total hip and knee arthroplasties. A total of 220 patients undergoing elective primary total hip and knee arthroplasties were recruited into in a non-blinded RCT. For the final analysis there were 102 patients in the study group and 107 in the control group.Objectives
Methods
Nylon sutures and skin staples are used commonly in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgical wound closure. However, there is no study that compares the wound healing efficacy and patient satisfaction scores of both techniques in the same knee. We randomised 70 patients who underwent primary TKA into two groups. In one group of 34 patients, the skin at the upper half of the wound was closed with skin staples and the lower half of the wound was closed with simple interrupted nylon sutures. In the other group of 36 patients, the skin at the upper half of the wound was closed with nylon stitches and the lower half of the wound was closed with skin staples. We recorded the wound closure time, pain score at the time of stitch removal, wound complication rate, patient satisfaction score, and the Hollander wound evaluation score at the post-operative periods of five days, 14 days, six weeks, three months, and six months. Each half wound was analysed separately.Objectives
Methods
Wear debris released from bearing surfaces has been shown to
provoke negative immune responses in the recipient. Excessive wear
has been linked to early failure of prostheses. Analysis using coordinate
measuring machines (CMMs) can provide estimates of total volumetric
material loss of explanted prostheses and can help to understand
device failure. The accuracy of volumetric testing has been debated,
with some investigators stating that only protocols involving hundreds
of thousands of measurement points are sufficient. We looked to
examine this assumption and to apply the findings to the clinical
arena. We examined the effects on the calculated material loss from
a ceramic femoral head when different CMM scanning parameters were
used. Calculated wear volumes were compared with gold standard gravimetric
tests in a blinded study. Objectives
Methods
