RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Tourniquet use has been advocated for better visualization of the surgical field as it exsanguinates most of the blood from the limbs to the central compartment. On the contrary, its use may increase postoperative pain and recovery of quadriceps function, thereby increasing the length of stay (LOS). The study aims to assess short-term outcomes of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) performed with and without a tourniquet. METHODOLOGY: Eighty-six patients scheduled for TKA either with or without a tourniquet were selected and divided into two groups using simple random sampling. Knee replacements were performed with a tourniquet in group I and without a tourniquet in group II. In all cases, blood loss was estimated. A visual analog scale (VAS) was used for the assessment of postoperative pain. In the study, range of motion (ROM) and quadriceps lag were also assessed on postoperative day 2 and discharge. RESULTS: There were 23 (26.7%) males and 20 (23.2%) females in group I and 28 (32.5%) males and 15 (17.4%) females in group II (p = 0.07). On comparing mean age and body mass index (BMI), statistically insignificant results were obtained. In group I and group II, a statistically significant difference was obtained in the estimation of mean total blood loss as 780.4 ± 152.49 and 1146.2 ± 193.14 ml, respectively (p = 0.02). Neither on postoperative day 2 nor at the time of discharge, no significant results were obtained in observing the ROM at the knee joint and quadriceps lag. CONCLUSION: It was found that tourniquet use is associated with lower blood loss and similar postoperative pain, ROM, quadriceps lag, and LOS.