The Role of Tourniquet in Total Knee Arthroplasty

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: We prospectively studied the role of tourniquet in total knee arthroplasty by comparing the amount of blood transfusion and postoperative hemovac drainage volume between random samples of tourniquet use group and no tourniquet use group. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-two cases were operated on with the use of an arterial tourniquet (Group I) and twenty-eight cases without it (Group II). We measured operative time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative thigh pain, transfusion amount, hemovac drainage and the length of hospital stay. SPSS 10.0 was applied for statistical analysis. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in operative time (119.5 degree+/-19.0 minutes in group I, 118.0degree +/-21.8 minutes in group II), intraoperative blood loss(483.6 degree+/-235.8 cc in group I, 974.2degree030 +/-368.2 cc in group II), postoperative thigh pain(3.8degree ae 0.8 in group I, 1.0degree ae 0.3 in group II), hemovac drainage vol-ume (1369.4 degree+/-516.2 cc in group I, 1400.2 degree+/-344.5 cc in group II), transfusion amount (1530.9degree+/- 575.7 cc in group I, 1404.5degree+/-319.3 cc in group II) and the length of hospital stay(14.5degree+/-3.1 days in group I, 14.9degree+/-6.3 days in group II) between the two groups (p>0.05). Though group I produced less intraoperative bleeding than group II, the postoperative thigh pain was higher. Total hemovac drainage volume of the tourniquet use group was equivalent to that of no tourniquet use group because the hemovac drainage increased abruptly as soon as the tourniquet was released. CONCLUSION: We conclude that tourniquet does not influence significantly on operative time, hemovac drainage, transfusion amount and hospital stay in total knee arthroplasty.