The clinical effect of an unloader brace on patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, a randomized placebo controlled trial with one year follow up.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of patients with knee osteoarthritis is challenging. Unloader braces have been developed with various success. Unloader One® Knee Brace is light, easily-fitted and shown to be effective by the unloading of the affected compartment. The aim of the study was to assess the clinical outcome of the brace vs. a placebo on patients with knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: Initially 150 patients were randomized to receive either the Unloader brace or a control placebo group look-alike brace where the active strips had been removed. The patients were followed up at 6,12,26 and 52 weeks with Knee Society Score (KSS) and Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS). The reason for dropout was recorded. RESULTS: A total of 149 patients were included, 74 in the study and 75 in the control group. The mean age was 59.6 vs. 60.2, BMI was 27.5 vs. 26.9, 37% vs. 44% were women in the study vs. control group. Both groups showed improvement in KSS over 52 weeks, with the study group showing higher improvement in mean scores. KSS increased from 64.3 to 84.0 for the study group and from 64.0 to 74.6 for the control group (p = 0.009). The study group improved in KSS function from 67.0 to 78.6 (p < 0.001) and KOOS for knee related symptoms increased/improved from 64.3 to 72.4 (p < 0.001). Activity of daily living increased/improved from 65.3 to 75.2 and Sports/Recreation from 24.6 to 40.2 (p > 0.001) whereas the control group did not show significant improvements in any of the scores. The dropout was higher in the control group, 40 vs. 25. CONCLUSIONS: The brace seems to be more effective and better tolerated than the placebo. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was retrospectively registered with ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT03454776 ) on March 6th 2018.

General anaesthesia with multimodal principles versus intrathecal analgesia with conventional principles in total knee arthroplasty: a consecutive, randomized study.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative outcomes following major surgery are influenced by surgical and anaesthesiological factors. While techniques of minimal invasive surgery have been associated with improved outcome, the techniques of minimal invasive, multimodal anaesthesia have not been adequately investigated. The aim of this study was to compare intrathecally based anaesthesia (ITA) including standardized, traditional intraoperative and postoperative care, with, general anaesthesia (GA) combined with intraoperative glucocorticoids, exclusion of intraoperative tourniquet and indwelling urethral catheter, and, an accelerated postoperative care regime. Outcome variables in the study were pain, requirement of analgesics, global satisfaction score and length-of-hospital stay. METHODS: Sixty patients were included and randomized to the ITA or the GA group. The ITA group received intrathecal bupivacaine (12.5 - 15.0 mg)/morphine (0.1 mg)/clonidine (0.03 mg), a standard surgical procedure, local infiltration analgesia (LIA) with ropivacaine (110 mg) /epinephrine (0.5 mg)/morphine (10 mg), an indwelling urethral catheter and mobilization with start Day 1 after the surgery. The GA group received a target-controlled infusion of propofol/remifentanil, betamethasone 4 mg i.v. intraoperatively, surgery was performed without a tourniquet, an indwelling urethral catheter was not used, LIA was with ropivacaine (250 mg)/epinephrine (0.3 mg) and mobilization was planned with start ≤ 2 hrs. after end of surgery. Outcomes were followed daily for the first 96 hrs. and at visits 3 months and 12 months postoperatively. RESULTS: Requirement of analgesics was decreased in the ITA group in the immediate postoperative period (P < 0.05). Pain scores were significantly lower in the ITA group (P < 0.01) between 0 - 12 hrs and in the GA group (P < 0.05) between 12 - 24 hrs after surgery. Fifteen of the patients in the GA group had to be intermittent catheterized due to bladder volumes > 400 mL. The LOS in the ITA group was significantly longer compared to the GA group (P < 0.01). There was no difference in global satisfaction score. CONCLUSION: General anaesthesia combined with intraoperative glucocorticoids and accelerated postoperative care, compared with, intrathecal blockade and traditional postoperative care, seems to generate the same overall pain ratings and a decrease in length-of-hospital stay, in patients undergoing elective total knee arthroplasty.

Total hip arthroplasty and perioperative oral carbohydrate treatment: a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial.

CONTEXT: Perioperative oral carbohydrate intake is beneficial to general surgery patients. Total hip arthroplasty is a common surgical procedure, and even a moderate improvement in patient outcome could have a significant effect on the resources needed for these patients. However, few studies have focused on the effects of carbohydrate intake on orthopaedic patients. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate if perioperative oral carbohydrate intake alters the postoperative course for patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty. The primary hypothesis was that pain scores would be lower in patients treated with carbohydrate. DESIGN: A randomised, double-blind, controlled trial. SETTING: This study was carried out between September 2009 and April 2011 at a district Swedish hospital that specialises in orthopaedic surgery. PATIENTS: Sixty ASA physical status I-III patients scheduled for elective total hip arthroplasty were included. Exclusion criteria were obesity, diabetes, prior hip surgery to the same hip, ongoing infection, immunological deficiency or age less than 50 or more than 80 years. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were given 400 ml of either an oral 12.5% carbohydrate solution or a placebo beverage (flavoured water) 1.5 h before and 2 h after surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Visual analogue scales were used to score six discomfort parameters. RESULTS: Immediately prior to surgery, the carbohydrate-treated patients were less hungry (median score 9.5 vs. 22 mm) and experienced less nausea (0 vs. 1.5 mm) (P< 0.05). Postoperatively, patients in the carbohydrate group experienced less pain at 12, 16 and 20 h (median scores 20, 30 and 34 vs. 7, 5 and 0 mm; P<0.05). CONCLUSION: This study shows that there is limited benefit from administering oral carbohydrate prior to total hip arthroplasty.

Tumor necrosis factor gene polymorphism is associated with enhanced systemic inflammatory response and increased cardiopulmonary morbidity after cardiac surgery.

UNLABELLED: Cardiopulmonary bypass induces a systemic inflammatory response characterized by alterations in cardiopulmonary function. Mediators for this morbidity are the cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukins. A genomic polymorphism within the TNF locus is associated with increased TNF-alpha levels and high mortality in severe trauma and sepsis. We assessed the relationship of biallelic polymorphisms of the TNF locus in patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery to release of proinflammatory cytokines and cardiopulmonary morbidity. TNF genotypes, plasma concentrations of TNF-alpha, interleukin-6, and cardiopulmonary morbidity were studied in 95 unselected, consecutive patients undergoing routine cardiac surgery. TNF genotypes were determined by the solid-phase minisequencing method. Patients homozygous for the TNFB2 allele (n = 42) displayed larger peak concentrations of TNF-alpha (11.3 +/- 1.3 versus 7.8 +/- 0.7 pg/mL; P = 0.013) and interleukin-6 (153 +/- 27 versus 87 +/- 7 pg/mL; P = 0.010) when compared with patients homozygous or heterozygous for TNFB1 (n = 53). The TNFB2 homozygotes had a higher incidence of left ventricular dysfunction (31% versus 9%; P = 0.029; odds ratio 3.84 [95% confidence interval, 1.40-24.3]), postoperative pulmonary dysfunction (24% versus 6%; P = 0.016; odds ratio 5.21 [95% confidence interval, 1.49-18.3]), and a lower pulmonary oxygenation index (29 +/- 1.9 versus 36.1 +/- 1.8; P = 0.013). Patients homozygous for the TNFB2 allele may develop an enhanced systemic inflammatory response with an increased risk of cardiopulmonary morbidity after cardiac surgery. IMPLICATIONS: The associations between tumor necrosis factor (TNF) gene polymorphism, plasma cytokines, and cardiopulmonary function after elective cardiac surgery were evaluated. Patients homozygous for the TNFB2 allele displayed larger concentrations of TNF-alpha and interleukin-6 and had an increased risk of developing left ventricular and pulmonary dysfunction compared with TNFB1 homo- or heterozygotes.