Does Control Of Arterial Blood Pressure Post-Total Knee Arthroplasty Reduce Blood Loss?

42017

Objective: Blood loss from bone and soft tissues after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) can be significant. Many patients undergoing TKA need blood transfusions postoperatively to increase their hemoglobin levels. Due to the small but real risks associated with blood transfusions, every effort should be made to prevent excessive blood loss in such patients. We hypothesized that blood loss post-TKA may be correlated with postoperative arterial blood pressure (ABP). Materials and methods: In order to investigate the relationship between postoperative ABP and blood loss, we retrospectively evaluated the post-operative status of 27 knees from the charts of 24 patients [20 female, 4 male; mean age 69.8 (57–83) years] who underwent TKA. The relationship between post-operative ABP (uncontrolled: ≥140/90 mmHg or controlled: 140/90 mmHg) and postoperative blood loss via suction drains was analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: The average blood loss (610 mL, range 325- 1440 mL) in patients with an ABP ≥140/90 mmHg was not significantly different than that (491 mL, range 250- 775 mL; M-W U=66.0, p═0.44) in patients with an ABP 140/90 mmHg. Discussion: The lack of association between postoperative ABP and blood loss should be further validated in a prospective study to determine if efforts should be made to carefully control ABP post-TKA for the purpose of decreasing post-operative hemorrhage.

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Total knee arthroplasty , Blood loss , Blood arterial pressure , Suction drain

Kocatepe Medical Journal

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Kocatepe Medical Journal