ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To study the safety of sequential bilateral total knee arthroplasty in low risk patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Those who had received the surgery all at once were grouped as the first group, those who had received the surgery over two weeks interval were the second group and the last group, third group were those who had received the first surgery on only one knee and they were gotten re-hospitalized for the second surgery on the rest of the knee. These groups were compared on the aspects of complication, postoperative bleeding amount, average transfusion amount, operation time and admission period. RESULTS: There were no major complications found in all groups and the minor complication rate of occurrence was 3%, 4%, 6% in each, which did not constitute a significance difference. Each of the total blood loss was 1442.9 mL, 1567.4 mL, 1616.6 mL and which did not constitute a significance difference, either. Each of the average volume of blood transfused was 1220.3 mL, 680.1 mL, 692.2 mL, and the first group had the largest volume transfused (p<0.05). The operation time was 186, 196, 211 minutes in each and the first group had the shortest duration (p<0.05). The average admission periods were 16.8, 28.6, 29.8 days and the first group had the shortest period (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: We suggest that when there are no medical diseases contracted on patients, the sequential bilateral total knee arthroplasty can be performed safely without definite increase in perioperative complications.