Incidence of Deep Vein Thrombosis Following Staged Bilateral and Simultaneous Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty

Background: The present study aimed at determining the incidence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in 2 groups of patients who underwent simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty (BTKA) or staged bilateral TKA. Methods: Patients with bilateral knee osteoarthritis, who were candidates for BTKA, were divided into 2 groups of patients undergoing either simultaneous bilateral or staged TKA. Incidence of DVT was measured during a 38- month follow- up period and compared between the 2 groups. Results: Finally, 120 patients with a mean age of 68.2 ± 2.3 years were enrolled (65% male). Baseline and demographic data of the 2 groups were not statistically significant (P 0.05). During the 38- month follow- up, DVT occurred in 2 patients (3.3%) in the staged BTKA group. The incidence of DVT in the 2 studied groups was significantly different (P = 0.12). Conclusions: It seems that performing same- day bilateral TKA does not have higher rates of DVT, when compared to those patients who underwent staged bilateral procedure. Simultaneous bilateral TKA can be a better choice for managing patients who need bilateral osteoarthritis surgery because of the significant reduction of hospital stay using this method.