ABSTRACT
The safety of simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains controversial. The objective of the current study was to investigate perioperative morbidity and mortality rates within 30 days of simultaneous bilateral TKA. A detailed analysis of medical, surgical and anaesthesia records of 183 consecutive patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty between 2002 and 2006 was performed. The mean age of the patients was 67.6 years old. More than 80% had one or more co-morbidities, but none of them had ASA score greater than class 2. The mean hospital stay was 10 days, and the mean surgical time 156 minutes. Less than half of the patients (42.6%) required blood transfusion. The rate of perimorbidity was 15.3 % and there was no mortality in this series. We believe that simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty is a safe and cost effective option for our patients, provided that patients are selected and informed appropriately.