Tapentadol vs oxycodone/naloxone in the management of pain after total hip arthroplasty in the fast track setting: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, joint replacement surgery has gradually progressed towards the fast-track model, and early rehabilitation immediately after surgery is regarded fundamental for optimal recovery of function: the aim of the present study is to describe the efficacy in perioperative management of pain in patients undergoing total hip replacement surgery and treated with tapentadol or oxycodone/naloxone in combination with ketoprofene. METHODS: Single-center retrospective study on patients with moderate-severe pain, referred to total hip replacement. Patients received either tapentadol (100 mg/twice-daily post-surgery - treatment group) or oxycodone/naloxone (10 mg/5 mg post-surgery - control group) plus ketoprofen 100 mg/ twice daily. Supplemental analgesia (paracetamol 1 g or morphine 0,1 mg/kg sc) was provided if needed. Pain at rest and pain during movement were evaluated on a daily basis for 4 days post-op, after which patients were usually discharged. All adverse events were reported and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: 106 patients were analyzed in the tapentadol group and compared to 105 patients treated with oxycodone/naloxone. Both pain intensity at rest and upon movement were significantly lower in the tapentadol group at all follow-up times (p < 0.001). Throughout T1-T4, supplemental analgesia was needed by significantly less tapentadol patients compared to the control group. Similarly, regarding side effects, a significantly higher occurrence of post-op nausea, vomit, itching and constipation was observed in the control group (p < 0.001 in all cases). CONCLUSION: Results from the present study support the use of tapentadol in combination with ketoprofen for the management of moderate-severe pain in the setting of major orthopedic surgery, given its effectiveness in reducing pain intensity, and its satisfactory tolerance.

Use of a fibrin sealant within a blood-saving protocol in patients undergoing revision hip arthroplasty: effects on post-operative blood transfusion and healthcare-related cost analysis.

PURPOSE: Blood transfusion and blood management are important aspects in orthopaedic surgery. Strategies include intra-operative and post-operative blood salvage and even the use of fibrin sealant in selected case. Objectives of the study were (1) to compare the total number of transfusions and the length of hospital stay in patients undergoing complete revision hip arthroplasty (RHA) with and without the use of a fibrin sealant (EVICEL®) and (2) to evaluate the possible role in cost savings of EVICEL® in association with the blood-saving protocol. METHODS: Retrospective observational study evaluating patients undergoing complete RHA (stem + cup) with a blood-saving protocol with (n = 50) and without EVICEL® (n = 60). The outcome measures were: number of patients transfused (allogeneic red blood cells-RBC-and plasma), amount of blood/plasma transfusions, quantity of re-infused recycled blood, and length of hospital stay. An economic model was developed to assess the differences in costs between the two groups. RESULTS: EVICEL® reduced the number of transfused red blood cells and plasma (p < 0.001), and the hospital stay (p = 0.01) compared to control group. EVICEL® can induce a reduction in resource consumption with an average cost-savings of €1.676 per patient. CONCLUSION: EVICEL® may be effective in reducing red blood cells and plasma transfusion as well as hospital stay. The inclusion of EVICEL® in a blood-saving protocol seems to produce clinical efficacy and cost savings.

Improved patient blood management and cost saving in hip replacement surgery through the implementation of pre-operative Sucrosomial® iron supplementation: a quality improvement assessment study.

PURPOSE: To compare post-operative recovery of prosthetic hip surgery patients with or without the implementation of iron supplementation with a new highly absorbable oral iron formulation. METHODS: Observational retrospective quality improvement assessment conducted on patients who had undergone elective prosthetic hip surgery (first implant) with ferritin < 100 mcg/dl and Hb values between 13 and 14 g/dl for men and 12 g/dl and 13.5 g/dl for women, or having ferritin levels > 100 mcg/dl but C-reactive protein (CRP) > 3 mg/l and transferrin saturation (TSAT) < 20%, which together are suggestive of functional iron deficiency. The analysis compared a group of non-anaemic patients having ferritin levels > 100 mcg/l to two groups of patients with iron deficiency, of which only one received iron supplementation. Measurements included haemoglobin levels, length of hospital stay, and number of transfused patients/blood units. RESULTS: Patients with iron deficiency supplemented with Sideral® Forte compared to non-supplemented patients showed a smaller decline in post-operative Hb (9.7 ± 1.24 g/dl vs 8.4 ± 0.6 g/dl), required shorter hospital stay (4 vs 6.5 days) and less blood transfusions (0 in the iron-supplemented group vs 7 units in the non-iron-supplemented group), yielding an overall savings of 1763.25 €/patient. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-operative sucrosomial iron supplementation at least 4 weeks prior to elective surgery in non-anaemic patients limits the drop in post-operative Hb levels, determining higher post-operative haemoglobin, quicker post-surgical recovery, shorter hospitalisation, and decreased surgery-related costs.

Sublingual sufentanil tablet system Zalviso® for postoperative analgesia after knee replacement in fast track surgery: a pilot observational study.

BACKGROUND: Currently many TKA protocols rely on multimodal analgesic protocols with patient-controlled analgesia systems that administer opioids through a patient controlled IV infusion pump, in addition to concomitant peripheral nerve blocks and local anesthetics. Although effective, PCA IV opioids do not provide optimal results with fast track rehabilitation protocols. METHODS: The present is a retrospective study comparing the novel sublingual sufentanil PCA system (SSTS) to our standard of care foreseeing continuous femoral nerve block (cFNB) within a multimodal analgesic in a TKA fast-track protocol. The study evaluated 95 patients on SSTS (SSTS group) and 87 on cFNB (cFNB/control group) and collected data on numeric rating scores for pain from day 1-3 after surgery (T1, T2, T3), both at rest (NRS) and during movement (mNRS), patient's ability to walk, need for supplementary analgesia (rescue dose), occurrence of adverse effects, length of hospital stay, and usability rating for SSTS by both patients and hospital staff. RESULTS: NRS at rest was lower in the cFNB than in the SSTS group for all 3 days after surgery, whereas mNRS scores were lower in the SSTS group at all time points measured. Adverse effects were significantly fewer among patients of the SSTS group (6% patients) than those of the cFNB (74% patients) (p <  0.001). Rescue doses were needed by 5% of SSTS patients vs 60% of cFNB. The fewer adverse events and lower pain scores for the SSTS group were associated to a notably better ability to ambulate, with all patients (100%) of the SSTS group being able to stand and walk for 10 m from T1 on; patients in the cFNB group showed a slower recovery with only 40% being able to stand and walk on T1, 70% on T2 and 85% on T3. All patients of the SSTS group had a length of stay of 4 days (day of surgery plus 3 after) as foreseen by the fast track protocol, in comparison only 36% of cFNB. Lastly, patient and nursing staff judged SSTS easy to use. CONCLUSION: Our experience suggests that SSTS is a valuable strategy for routine postoperative analgesia following TKA in the context of a multimodal analgesic approach within the fast-track setting.