Abstracts Posters SICOT-SOF meeting Gothenburg 2010 _2_

Poster
Topic: Arthroplasty - Knee
Abstract number: 25622
TOURNIQUET OR NO TOURNIQUET IN TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT
SURGERY - A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY INVOLVING 50 PATIENTS
Rahul KAKKAR, Ram DHARMARAJAN
Northern Deanery, Newcastle (UNITED KINGDOM)
The traditional use of pneumatic tourniquets in TKR has recently been challenged
and certain advantages including lower vascular complications, rapid rehabilitation,
decreased postoperative pain and reduced wound complications reported. We
conducted a retrospective study of 50 patients with 25 patients in each group who
underwent total knee replacement by a single surgeon using the same implant in all
patients to ascertain if the patients in the no tourniquet group fared better than their
counterparts in the tourniquet group. The parameters recorded were- surgical time,
blood loss, homologous blood transfusion requirements, time to SLR, time to flex to
90 degrees, postoperative analgesic use, DVT/vascular complications, wound
problems and the length of in hospital stay. Both the groups were well matched for
age, sex and preoperative haemoglobin levels. There was no significant difference
between the two groups with regard to operating time or total blood loss, blood
transfusion requirements and total length of hospital stay, but postoperative pain,
wound complications and the incidence of DVT was lower in the no tourniquet group.
Also the patients in the no tourniquet group achieved knee flexion and active straight
leg raise quicker but at six weeks this difference was negligible and not significant in
both groups. We thus conclude that both techniques are safe and it is the surgeon´s
choice as to which one they feel comfortable with, although it would be beneficial if
the surgeon knows both techniques so that they can tailor the surgery to suit the
patient.
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