Reinflation After Early Tourniquet Release in Total Knee Arthroplasty

This study is aimed to determine the efficacy and the safety of the tourniquet reinflation after early tourniquet release in total knee arthroplasty, compared to the method of early deflation without reinflation. The investigators hypothesized that the reinflation after early release of the tourniquet would be effective in terms of improved visualization of the surgical field and decreased operation time and blood loss, whereas it would increase tourniquet-related complication due to longer tourniquet-use time.

Total knee arthroplasty(TKA) is mostly performed with tourniquet applied, because it allows decreased intraoperative blood loss, better visualization of surgical field and better cement fixation of the implants, compared to the TKA without using tourniquet. However, there remains a controversy about the timing of tourniquet release, so the tourniquet may be unreleased throughout the whole operation time or released early just after cement fixation of the implants, atc. Early tourniquet release is generally aimed to control hidden arterial bleeding which would not be revealed if the tourniquet was unreleased. This method was reported to reduce arterial bleeding and its related complications, but it was also known that increase intraoperative bleeding, incidence of transfusion, and operation time. On the other hand, late tourniquet release, which the tourniquet is unreleased until the wound is closed, is reported to increase tourniquet-use time and related complications owing to longer tourniquet time, although it gives shorter operation time. The investigators have been used a way of reinflation of tourniquet after early release, once the arterial bleeding was controlled sufficiently, to balance the advantages and disadvantages of the early tourniquet release. The investigators were able to control arterial bleeding during the time the tourniquet was released, and the remained procedures were performed conveniently with good visualization of the surgical field after the tourniquet was reinflated again. However, there was no previous studies about the efficacy and the safety of the way of reinflation after early release of the tourniquet in the literature. Therefore, the investigators ask in this study whether the reinflation after early tourniquet release has advantages over the method of early tourniquet release without reinflation, in terms of efficacy and safety.

The tourniquet is released after cement implant fixation, and then reinflated, once arterial bleeding was controlled (Reinflation after early tourniquet deflation).

The tourniquet is released after cement implant fixation, and remained deflated without reinflation, even after hemostasis.

The tourniquet is released after cement implant fixation, and then reinflated, once arterial bleeding was controlled

Total time of tourniquet-use during the operation which defined from skin incision to the wound closure

Measured by the number of operative field clearance using gauze to make the remained procedure convenient

The incidence of allogenic or autologous (preoperative autologous blood donation) transfusion after surgery due to significant hemoglobin drop within 2weeks after surgery

wound complications evaluated on the 2nd and 14th day after surgery, such as ecchymosis, subcutaneous hematoma, hemarthrosis, and oozing

Thigh complication due to the tourniquet, such as ecchymosis, skin bullae, and skin necrosis around the area of tourniquet application

An independent investigator who was blinded to randomization assessed knee and thigh pain level using 0 to 10 visual analog scale (VAS) that ranged from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain) on the 2nd and 5th day after surgery.

An independent investigator who was blinded to randomization assessed the more painful site either knee (operation site) or thigh (tourniquet application site) on the 2nd and 5th day after surgery.

An independent investigator who was blinded to randomization assessed the more painful side in patients undergoing simultaneous bilateral TKA (SBTKA), whose each knee will be allocated into experimental and control group, respectively.

The hemoglobin drop calculated by subtracting hemoglobin level of postoperative 2nd day from the preoperative value

The hemoglobin drop calculated by subtracting hemoglobin level of postoperative 5th day from the preoperative value

Inclusion Criteria: Diagnosis of primary osteoarthritis of the knee Scheduled for elective total knee arthroplasty Written signed consent Exclusion Criteria: Revision TKA Diagnosis other than primary osteoarthritis Intra-articular indwelling drainage Refusing participate