The effect of topical scar treatment on postoperative scar pain and pruritus after total knee arthroplasty

Introduction

The surgical wound of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) needs continuous flexion and extension movement. Silicone gel treatment is widely used to treat hypertrophic scars and keloids since it is easily applied and prevents scar pain and itching. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of silicone gel applied to surgical scars of TKA on postoperative scar pain and pruritus.

Materials and methods

One hundred TKAs were randomized into a silicone gel group (silicone gel was applied to the wound after stitch-out for 1 month) or a placebo group. The postoperative scar pain and pruritus were evaluated with the use of a visual analog scale (VAS) at postoperative 3 months, 6 months and 1 year. Scar assessment was done using the Vancouver scar scale by evaluating scar pigmentation, vascularity, pliability, and height.

Results

Although silicone gel group showed better pigmentation and height scales than placebo group (P < 0.05), there were no significant differences in the postoperative scar pain and pruritus VAS scores between the groups (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

Application of silicone gel had no beneficial effects on scar pain and itching relief during the early postoperative period of TKA.

Level of evidence

I-Randomized Controlled Trial     

Effects of local infiltration analgesia for posterior knee pain after total knee arthroplasty: comparison with sciatic nerve block

Background

Although femoral nerve block provides good analgesia after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), residual posterior knee pain may decrease patient satisfaction. We compared the efficacy of periarticular infiltration analgesia (PIA) and sciatic nerve block (SNB) for posterior knee pain.

Methods

Forty-nine patients scheduled for TKA were prospectively randomized into the PIA group (n = 25) or SNB group (n = 24) and received general anesthesia with ultrasound-guided femoral nerve block (FNB). In the PIA group, 60 ml 0.5 % ropivacaine and 0.3 mg epinephrine were injected intraoperatively into the periarticular soft tissue before inserting the components. In the SNB group, patients received ultrasound-guided SNB with 20 ml 0.375 % ropivacaine and periarticular infiltration with 20 ml normal saline and 0.3 mg epinephrine. We evaluated postoperative pain scores, posterior knee pain, frequency of rescue analgesics for 36 h, and performance time of PIA and SNB.

Results

Visual analogue pain scores at 12–24 h were significantly lower in the PIA group than in the SNB group (p < 0.05). The majority of patients had no posterior knee pain. There were no significant differences between the groups in frequency and time of first administration of rescue analgesics and in side effects. Time for performance of periarticular infiltration was significantly shorter than that for SNB (p < 0.05). The dose of intraoperative remifentanil was significantly lower in the SNB group than in the PIA group (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

The combination of FNB and PIA provides sufficient analgesia after TKA. The rapid and convenient periarticular infiltration technique could be a good alternative to SNB.     

The efficacy of patellar decompression for improving anterior knee pain following total knee arthroplasty without patellar resurfacing

Background

Anterior knee pain remains common following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of patellar decompression via drilling for the treatment of anterior knee pain following TKA without patellar resurfacing.

Methods

A prospective cohort study was performed in 271 consecutive patients who underwent primary total knee replacement with patellar decompression (study group, n = 131) or without decompression (control group, n = 140). The patients were assessed according to the Knee Society rating, clinical anterior knee pain score, and British Orthopaedic Association patient-satisfaction score in each group. Each assessment was performed without the examiner knowing whether the patella had been decompressed. Radiographic evaluations were also performed according to the Knee Society scoring system for functional activity and our own severity grade system for patellofemoral articular change.

Results

There were no adverse events following patellar decompression. The overall prevalence of anterior knee pain was not significantly different between groups (p = 0.71). However, patients presenting pain over grade II after the operation in the study group were statistically low (p = 0.01). The overall postoperative knee scores were higher in the study group, but there were no significant differences between groups (p = 0.0731). Analyses of the radiographs revealed similar postoperative outcomes in both groups of knees.

Conclusions

As we observed significantly lower rates of anterior knee pain and no patellar complications following patellar decompression via drilling in TKA without patellar resurfacing, we recommend performing patellar decompression in cases of total knee replacement without patellar resurfacing.     

The aetiology of total knee arthroplasty failure influences the improvement in knee function

Background

Some indications for revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA), e.g. arthrofibrosis, have been identified to yield inferior results. The aim of this study was to analyse the results of revision TKA according to aetiology of TKA failure.

Patients and methods

The results of 97 consecutive revision TKA in 97 patients stratified according to the aetiology of primary TKA failure (periprosthetic infection, aseptic loosening, instability and arthrofibrosis), were compared using the Knee Society Score (KSS). The effect of patient age, gender, BMI, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, interval to revision and the occurrence of complications on the outcome were also analysed.

Results

After a mean follow-up of 29 months, the KSS had significantly improved in all patient groups (p < 0.001). The analysis of variance among patient groups depicted no significant differences between preoperative KSS (p = 0.618) and postoperative KSS (p = 0.915), while the magnitude of pre- to postoperative improvement showed significant differences between the groups (p = 0.006). The aetiology of primary TKA failure had an independent influence on pre- to postoperative improvement (p = 0.014). Of the other factors analysed, only the ASA classification had an independent impact on postoperative KSS (p = 0.045).

Conclusion

The aetiology of TKA failure has an effect on the improvement in knee function from revision TKA. As no difference was observed between patient groups postoperatively, similar clinical results can be expected independent of the aetiology of primary TKA failure.     

Periarticular multimodal drug injection is better than single anesthetic drug in controlling pain after total knee arthroplasty

Background

Postoperative pain is one of the issues that concern most patients after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Periarticular multimodal drug injection and single anesthetic agent injection have been shown to effectively reduce postoperative pain. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy between multimodal drug injection and single anesthetic drug injection in controlling pain after TKA using a double-blinded randomized controlled trial.

Methods

Sixty-four osteoarthritic patients who underwent primary TKA were randomized into two groups. The multimodal drug injection group (group M) received levobupivacaine 150 mg, ketorolac 30 mg and morphine 5 mg, while the single anesthetic drug injection group (group S) received only levobupivacaine 150 mg. The primary outcomes were pain level (VAS), quantity of opioid consumption (mg) and time to request the first dose of analgesic drug (min).

Results

Multimodal drug injection provided lower pain level in the first 4 h after surgery (VAS rest: 30 vs 46, p = 0.02; VAS motion: 45 vs 66, p = 0.03). They consumed less morphine mostly in the first 8 h after surgery (5 vs 12 mg, p < 0.0001) and had approximately 2 h longer time to request the first dose of analgesic drug (254 vs 148 min, p = 0.02).

Conclusions

Multimodal drug injection decreases pain level, reduces morphine consumption in the early postoperative period and prolongs the analgesic effect compared to single anesthetic drug. One may consider using single anesthetic agent only in patients who have high risk of opioid or NSAIDs side effect.

     

Periarticular infiltration for pain relief after total hip arthroplasty: a comparison with epidural and PCA analgesia

Purpose

Epidural and intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) are established methods for pain relief after total hip arthroplasty (THA). Periarticular infiltration is an alternative method that is gaining ground due to its simplicity and safety. Our study aims to assess the efficacy of periarticular infiltration in pain relief after THA.

Methods

Sixty-three patients undergoing THA under spinal anaesthesia were randomly assigned to receive postoperative analgesia with continuous epidural infusion with ropivacaine (epidural group), intraoperative periarticular infiltration with ropivacaine, clonidine, morphine, epinephrine and corticosteroids (infiltration group) or PCA with morphine (PCA group). PCA morphine provided rescue analgesia in all groups. We recorded morphine consumption, visual analog scale (VAS) scores at rest and movement, blood loss from wound drainage, mean arterial pressure (MAP) and adverse effects at 1, 6, 12, 24 h postoperatively.

Results

Morphine consumption at all time points, VAS scores at rest, 6, 12 and 24 h and at movement, 6 and 12 h postoperatively were lower in infiltration group compared to PCA group (p < 0.05), but did not differ between infiltration and epidural group. There was no difference in adverse events in all groups. At 24 h, MAP was higher in the PCA group (p < 0.05) and blood loss was lower in the infiltration group (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

In our study periarticular infiltration was clearly superior to PCA with morphine after THA, providing better pain relief and lower opioid consumption postoperatively. Infiltration seems to be equally effective to epidural analgesia without having the potential side effects of the latter.     

Comparative efficacy of ultrasound-guided and stimulating popliteal-sciatic perineural catheters for postoperative analgesia

Purpose

Perineural catheter insertion using ultrasound guidance alone is a relatively new approach. Previous studies have shown that ultrasound-guided catheters take less time to place with high placement success rates, but the analgesic efficacy compared with the established stimulating catheter technique remains unknown. We tested the hypothesis that popliteal-sciatic perineural catheter insertion relying exclusively on ultrasound guidance results in superior postoperative analgesia compared with stimulating catheters.

Methods

Preoperatively, subjects receiving a popliteal-sciatic perineural catheter for foot or ankle surgery were assigned randomly to either ultrasound guidance (bolus via needle with non-stimulating catheter insertion) or electrical stimulation (bolus via catheter). We used 1.5% mepivacaine 40 mL for the primary surgical nerve block and 0.2% ropivacaine (basal 8 mL·hr^?1; bolus 4 mL; 30 min lockout) was infused postoperatively. The primary outcome was average surgical pain on postoperative day one.

Results

Forty of the 80 subjects enrolled were randomized to each treatment group. One of 40 subjects (2.5%) in the ultrasound group failed catheter placement per protocol vs nine of 40 (22.5%) in the stimulating catheter group (P = 0.014). The difference in procedural duration (mean [95% confidence interval (CI)]) was ?6.48 (?9.90 - ?3.05) min, with ultrasound requiring 7.0 (4.0-14.1) min vs stimulation requiring 11.0 (5.0-30.0) min (P < 0.001). The average pain scores of subjects who provided data on postoperative day one were somewhat higher for the 33 ultrasound subjects than for the 26 stimulation subjects (5.0 [1.0-7.8] vs 3.0 [0.0-6.5], respectively; P = 0.032), a difference (mean [95%CI]) of 1.37 (0.03-2.71).

Conclusion

For popliteal-sciatic perineural catheters, ultrasound guidance takes less time and results in fewer placement failures compared with stimulating catheters. However, analgesia may be mildly improved with successfully placed stimulating catheters. Clinical trial registration number NCT00876681.     

Ropivacaine for ultrasound-guided interscalene block: 5 mL provides similar analgesia but less phrenic nerve paralysis than 10 mL

Purpose

Interscalene brachial plexus block (interscalene block) complications usually depend on the dose administered. The objective of this study was to determine whether ultrasound-guided interscalene block with a 5-mL dose of 0.75% ropivacaine would have sufficient analgesic efficacy after shoulder arthroscopic surgery when compared with a 10-mL dose.

Methods

Patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair surgery (n = 60) were assigned randomly to one of two groups receiving 5 mL (Group 5) or 10 mL (Group 10) of 0.75% ropivacaine. Ultrasound-guided interscalene block was performed using the in-plane technique, and general anesthesia was administered. Time to first analgesic request was recorded, and the following issues were assessed in the postanesthesia care unit at six, 12, 24, and 48 hr postoperatively: postoperative pain as determined by a visual analogue scale (VAS), patient satisfaction, hemidiaphragmatic paralysis, other block-related complications, and postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV).

Results

There was no significant difference between groups in time to first analgesic requirement (median [interquartile range] for Group 5: 16 [12-48] hr, Group 10: 18 [12-48] hr; P = 0.907). The postoperative pain VAS score was similar in both groups. The incidence of hemidiaphragmatic paralysis on postoperative chest x-ray was 33% in Group 5 and 60% in Group 10 (P = 0.035). However, the incidences of other block-related complications, PONV, and patient satisfaction were not significantly different between groups.

Conclusion

Interscalene block performed under ultrasound guidance with 0.75% ropivacaine 5 mL showed analgesic efficacy similar to that with 0.75% ropivacaine 10 mL, but with a lower incidence of hemidiaphragmatic paralysis.     

Comparison of three different tourniquet application strategies for minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty: a prospective non-randomized clinical trial

Introduction

It is still controversial on the optimal timing of tourniquet used in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Most previous studies focused on the comparison of different tourniquet application in controversial TKA, while the aim of our work was to compare three strategies of tourniquet application in minimally invasive TKA.

Materials and methods

90 patients were enrolled in this study. Based on the different tourniquet application strategies, they were divided into three groups. Group A: using tourniquet during the whole surgery; Group B: tourniquet inflated before incision and deflated after the hardening of the cement; Group C: using tourniquet during the cementation. Blood loss and serum levels of C-reactive protein, IL-6, creatine kinase and myoglobin were checked preoperatively. The HSS knee score, VAS pain score, range of motion (ROM), limb swelling and hospital stays were also recorded.

Results

The mean levels of Hb and Hct were lower in Group C (104.2 ± 10.4 g/L, 31.8 ± 3.2 %) than those in Groups A (111.4 ± 14.4 g/L, p = 0.035; 34.1 ± 4.1 %, p = 0.032) and B (112.8 ± 14.3 g/L, p = 0.013; 34.5 ± 3.7 %, p = 0.011) immediately after the surgery. Compared with Groups A and B, both serum inflammation and muscle damage markers were lower in Group C. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of HSS knee score, ROM, estimated blood loss, swelling ratio, VAS pain score and hospital stays.

Conclusions

Using a tourniquet full time in minimally invasive TKA causes less intraoperative blood loss and more excessive inflammation and muscle damage. However, the advantage of part-time using tourniquet did not show in early functional outcomes.     

Die infizierte Knieprothese

Objective

Treatment of an early total knee arthroplasty (TKA) infection with the goal of salvaging the implant.

Indications

Early postoperative infections within the first 4 weeks. The acute hemtogenous infection of the knee joint with TKA and duration of symptoms for a maximum of 4 weeks.

Contraindications

Unsuitable for anesthesia, high acute infection with sepsis and risk for bacteremia with danger to life, large soft tissue damage where plastic surgery coverage is not possible.

Surgical technique

Arthrotomy, synovectomy, inlay removal, jet lavage, instillation of polyhexanide, new inlay, drainage and infusion–aspiration–drainage if necessary, wound closure with plastic surgery if necessary.

Postoperative management

Infusion–aspiration–drainage with polyhexanide for 3 days or drainage for 3 days. Continuous passive motion (CPM) with increasing range of motion (ROM) 0–0–30°. Removal of the drain after 5 days and mobilization with increasing ROM and full weight-bearing.

Results

The success rate for the salvage procedure is about 70?%.     

The use of pneumatic tourniquet in total knee arthroplasty: a meta-analysis

Background

Pneumatic tourniquet use in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is always a controversial issue. The aim of the present study is to assess the effectiveness and safety of its use in patients receiving primary unilateral TKA, and to explore the most safe and effective protocols.

Materials and methods

This review was based on cochrane methodology for conducting meta-analysis. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible for this study. The participants were adults who had undergone primary unilateral TKA. The Review Manager Database (RevMan version 5.0, The Cochrane Collaboration 2008) was used to analyze the dates of the selected studies.

Results

Thirteen RCTs involving 859 patients were included in this analysis. The use of tourniquet could significantly reduce operation time (mean difference ?5.01 min, P = 0.003), intraoperative blood loss (mean difference ?201.85 ml, P < 0.00001) and total blood loss volumes (mean difference ?125.03 ml, P = 0.61). But postoperative (mean difference 45.99 ml, P = 0.68) were slightly increased in that situation. With respect to surgical complications, a tendency of increasing risk ratio was observed for tourniquet group.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that tourniquet application could reduce surgical time, intraoperative blood loss and total blood loss, but increases postoperative total blood loss. With respect to postoperative complications, DVT and surgical site infection rates are relatively augmented in the tourniquet group.     

The effect of femoral component design on patellar tracking in total knee arthroplasty: Genesis II prosthesis versus Vanguard prosthesis

Introduction

The Genesis II knee system incorporates 3° of external rotation into the femoral component and the femoral component is implanted in neutral rotation to the femur. The purpose of this study was to compare patellar tracking of the Genesis II knee system with that of the Vanguard knee system, in which the femoral component is routinely implanted in a 3° externally rotated position to the posterior condylar axis (PCA) of the femur.

Materials and methods

One hundred consecutive knees scheduled to undergo total knee arthroplasty (TKA) were enrolled. Fifty knees underwent TKA with the posterior-stabilized (PS) Genesis II prosthesis and 50 knees underwent TKA with the PS Vanguard prosthesis. Rotation of the femoral component was calculated by measuring the acute angle between the transepicondylar axis (TEA) and the PCA on axial computed tomography (CT) images. The postoperative patellar tilt and displacement were compared between groups. The range of motion and Knee Society scores were also compared.

Results

Forty-eight knees in each group were followed up for 2 years. There was no difference in the angle between the PCA and the TEA on postoperative CT scans between the two designs. There was also no difference in patellar tracking between groups. Both the Genesis II and Vanguard knee systems showed good clinical results at 2 years postoperatively.

Conclusion

The patellar tracking of the Genesis II prosthesis was comparable to that of the Vanguard prosthesis.

Level of evidence

Prospective cohort study, Level II.     

Clinical assessment of a CMC/PEO gel to inhibit postoperative epidural adhesion formation after lumbar discectomy: a randomized, control study

Purpose

To evaluate effectiveness of carboxymethylcellulose/polyethylene oxide (CMC/PEO) gel in improving clinical outcomes after the first-time lumbar discectomy.

Method

Ninety-three patients with herniated lumbar disc at L4–L5 or L5–S1 were enrolled and randomized into two groups: CMC/PEO gel treatment group and control group. All the patients underwent laminotomy and discectomy by posterior approach. The preoperative and postoperative Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores for lower-back pain and leg pain were analyzed and compared between two groups at 30- and 60-day time points.

Results

No patient presented with any clinically measurable adverse event during surgery. There were no significant differences between the treated group and the control group on the preoperative ODI and VAS scores. In general, the ODI and VAS scores decreased in both groups at all the time points. At the 30-day time point, the VAS scores for back pain and leg pain and the ODI scores in treatment group were lower by 9.9 % (P = 0.0302), 27.0 % (P = 0.0002) and 16.3 % (P = 0.0007) than those in control group. And at the 60-day time point, the ODI and VAS scores further decreased in both groups. The VAS scores for leg pain in treatment group were lower by 4.5 % than that in the control group (P = 0.0149). However, no significant difference was detected between two groups on the ODI and VAS scores for back pain.

Conclusions

The results demonstrated that CMC/PEO gel is effective in reducing posterior dural adhesions in the spine with no apparent safety issues. It can improve patients’ postoperative clinical outcome.