Patient Factors Associated with Shorter Length of Stay Following Total Hip Arthroplasty-A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Introduction: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is an increasingly common procedure in the United Kingdom and incurs vast costs, with a mean length of stay (LOS) of 5.5 days. Reducing LOS plays a key role in improving cost-effectiveness, morbidity, and patient satisfaction following many orthopaedic procedures.

Training benefits of computer navigated total knee arthroplasty.

Background: Computer navigation aims to improve the surgical accuracy of total knee replacement by more reliably placing the cutting blocks in the optimum location in order to create a neutral mechanical axis. Aside from the obvious clinical benefit to the patient, we believe computer navigation has a valuable role as a training tool. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of computer navigation as a training tool in total knee arthroplasty.

Blood loss following total knee replacement is reduced when using computer-assisted versus standard methods.

Perioperative blood loss was compared in 136 patients (2 groups of 68 patients) who underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Blood loss was significantly lower when using a computer-navigated technique in comparison to a method employing intramedullary femoral rods. Total blood loss was calculated from body weight, height and haematocrit change, using a model that has been shown to reliably estimate true blood loss.

Reduction of blood loss in primary hip arthroplasty with tranexamic acid or fibrin spray.

Background And Purpose: Previous studies have shown that either fibrin spray or tranexamic acid can reduce blood loss at total hip replacement, but the 2 treatments have not been directly compared. We therefore conducted a randomized, controlled trial.

Patients And Methods: In this randomized controlled trial we compared the effect of tranexamic acid and fibrin spray on blood loss in cemented total hip arthroplasty.

Reducing blood loss in primary knee arthroplasty: a prospective randomised controlled trial of tranexamic acid and fibrin spray.

A prospective, randomised controlled trial compared the effects of two medications intended to reduce blood loss from total knee arthroplasty. Patients were randomised to one of the following three treatment groups: 10mg/kg tranexamic acid at given at induction of anaesthesia, 10 ml of fibrin spray administered topically during surgery, or to a control group receiving neither treatment. Sixty six patients underwent elective cemented total knee arthroplasty; computer navigation was used in all cases.

Femoral nerve block for total knee replacement - a word of caution.

Femoral nerve block (FNB) is a well documented option for post-operative analgesia following major knee surgery. However, motor blockade may be prolonged preventing early mobilisation thereby increasing the length of stay. In addition, as a consequence of persistent quadriceps weakness, patients have an increased risk of falling.