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,
Arthrofibrosis is a relatively common complication after joint injuries and surgery, particularly in the knee. The present study used a previously described and validated rabbit model to assess the biomechanical, histopathological, and molecular effects of the mast cell stabilizer ketotifen on surgically induced knee joint contractures in female rabbits. A group of 12 skeletally mature rabbits were randomly divided into two groups. One group received subcutaneous (SQ) saline, and a second group received SQ ketotifen injections. Biomechanical data were collected at eight, ten, 16, and 24 weeks. At the time of necropsy, posterior capsule tissue was collected for histopathological and gene expression analyses (messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein).Aims
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
