A Comparative Study of Subcutaneous versus Intra-Articular Indwelling Closed Suction Drainage after Total Knee Arthroplasty / 대한정형외과학회잡지

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the drainage amount, total blood loss, and clinical results between two different positions of suction drainage after total knee arthroplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 100 patients who underwent one stage bilateral total knee arthroplasty were enrolled. In experiment 1 with 50 patients, we compared the drainage amount, pain, range of motion, and complications of the leg whose suction drain was inserted into the joint cavity with those of the contralateral leg whose suction drain was inserted in subcutaneous tissue. Another 50 patients of experiment 2 had suction drainage in the joint cavity of both legs and the total blood loss (sum of drainage output, exudates, and hematoma of subcutaneous tissue and joint) was calculated and compared with that of experiment 1. RESULTS: In experiment 1, the drainage amount was less in the leg with suction drainage in subcutaneous tissue compared with the contralateral leg with suction drainage in the joint cavity (p<0.001). However, the postoperative joint pain was significantly different only on post-operative day 2 between two legs. In experiment 2, there was no significant difference in the total blood loss between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Although the drainage amount was less in the leg whose suction drain was kept in subcutaneous tissue compared with the contralateral leg whose suction drain was in the joint cavity, the total blood loss and the clinical results were not significantly different according to the position of the suction drain. Therefore, we can conclude that the subcutaneous position of the suction drain did not yield superior results.

Perioperative Risk Assessment in Patients Aged 75 Years or Older: Comparison between Bilateral and Unilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the risk of sequential bilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) under 1 anesthesia in patients 75 years or older. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients aged 75 years or older who underwent sequential bilateral TKA (bilateral group, n=159) and unilateral TKA (unilateral group, n=159) between 2002 and 2012 were selected. All patients were evaluated for underlying medical diseases, such as cardiac, pulmonary, and renal problems, and high-risk patients were recommended to postpone the surgery. We compared the underlying diseases, major postoperative complications, and the length of hospital stay between bilateral and unilateral groups. RESULTS: The prevalence of underlying diseases of the bilateral group was 74.8% and major complications occurred in 6 patients (3.8%). The prevalence of underlying diseases of the unilateral group was 52.4% and complications were observed in 4 patients (2.4%). Although the complication rate of the bilateral group was slightly higher than that of the unilateral group, the difference was not statistically meaningful (p=0.204). The length of hospital stay was 21.9 days for the bilateral group and 24.9 days for the unilateral group. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in postoperative complications between groups. The result shows that bilateral TKA can be relatively safe compared with unilateral TKA in patients 75 years or older. However, careful selection of low-risk patients is advised.

Preoperative Prediction for Length of Patellar Tendon in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Using Bone-Patellar Tendon-Bone Autograft / 대한스포츠의학회지

Preoperative prediction of patellar tendon length is important during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) autograft. Three methods of imaging analysis to predict patellar tendon length were compared in this study. One hundred and twenty-three patients who underwent ACL reconstruction using BPTB autograft by single surgeon during October 2002 through April 2011 were included. We measured the patellar tendon length from true and oblique lateral simple radiographs (classified according to degree of rotation) and magnetic resonance image (MRI). These values were compared with actual length measured during operation and assessed accuracy by calculating the coefficient of determination. The mean length of patellar tendon measured during operation and by true lateral and oblique lateral radiographs and MRI were 42.4+/-0.45 mm (range, 32.0-54.0 mm), 41.7+/-0.61 mm (range, 24.2-55.3 mm), 40.7+/-0.57 mm (range, 24.8-51.5 mm), and 41.7+/-0.52 mm (range, 28.7-56.0 mm), respectively. The correlation of patellar tendon length was the most strong between actual length and value from true lateral radiograph (coefficient of determination, r2=0.660) according to simple linear regression analysis. R2 values were 0.361 and 0.332 for oblique lateral radiograph and MRI compared to actual value, respectively. In conclusion, Patellar tendon length measured on true lateral radiograph was the best method to coincide with actual patellar tendon length among various preoperative prediction methods.