Combined and intravenous administration of TXA reduces blood loss more than topical administration in primary total knee arthroplasty: A randomized clinical trial.

AIM: To determine the most effective administration of tranexamic acid (TXA) in patients with primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). MATERIAL AND METHOD: We enrolled a total of 400 patients (154 men and 346 women) in this randomized trial (4 groups, each of 100 patients). The first group (IV1) had a single intravenous dose (15 mg TXA/kg) prior to skin incision. Group 2 (IV2) had TXA in 2 intravenous doses (15 mg TXA/kg): prior to skin incision and 6 hours after the first dose. Group 3 (TOP) had 2 g TXA in 50 mL of saline irrigated topically at the end of the surgery. The fourth group (COMB) combined IV1 and TOP regimens. We monitored the amount of total blood loss (TBL), haemoglobin drop, use of blood transfusions (BTs), and complications in each patient. RESULTS: The amount of TBL was significantly lower in IV1, IV2 and COMB regimens compared to the TOP (P<0.0001). The lowest decrease in haemoglobin within 12 hours after surgery was observed in intravenous regimens (P=0.045). A significant difference in haemoglobin decrease on day 1 after the surgery was demonstrated in the COMB and intravenous regimens (P=0.011). CONCLUSION: In primary TKA, it is preferable to administer TXA intravenously in two doses or in a combined regimen. Simple topical administration of TXA was not as effective and is indicated only in cases where systemic administration of TXA is contraindicated. No substantial complications occurred in either group of patients.

Gender Differences in Contribution of Smoking, Low Physical Activity, and High BMI to Increased Risk of Early Reoperation After TKA.

BACKGROUND: The reliable preoperative identification of patients at a high risk of early reoperations (<2 years after primary surgery) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) could lead to adjustments of the surgical procedure and counseling, thus lowering the percentage of revision surgeries. METHODS: The unselected cohort consisted of 1885 patients (695 men and 1190 women) who underwent TKA implantation between September 2010 and April 2017 at a single tertiary orthopedic center. Multivariate patient similarity networks were applied to identify patient groups at a high risk of early reoperations based on 25 preoperative parameters. RESULTS: Early reoperations (109 cases, 5.8%) were less frequent in women (4.4%; median time to reoperation, 2.0 months) than in men (8.2%; 7.5 months), reaching the highest incidence in younger men (10.9%; <66 years). Of the tested preoperative parameters, the risk of reoperation in men was more likely associated with smoking or obesity (body mass index [BMI] > 30). In women, low physical activity and high BMI were the most likely risk factors for early reoperations. Other factors did not affect the risk of early reoperations, including the primary diagnosis, comorbidities, and surgeon-implanting TKA. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the effect of smoking, physical activity, and BMI on the risk of early reoperation after TKA, with the different contribution in men/women. Identification of patient subgroups with a higher risk of early revision after TKA is needed for clinical implementation of precision medicine in orthopedics.

Monitoring of fibrinolytic system activity with plasminogen, D-dimers and FDP in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) after topical, intravenous or combined administration of tranexamic acid.

AIM: We assessed various ways of tranexamic acid (TXA) administration on the fibrinolytic system. Blood loss, transfusions, drainage and haematoma were secondary outcomes. METHODS: In this prospective study, we examined 100 patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) between June and November 2018. Patients were randomly assigned to 4 groups according to the following TXA regimens: 1) loading dose 15 mg TXA/kg single intravenous administration applied at initiation of anesthesia (IV1); 2) loading dose 15 mg TXA/kg + additional dose 15 mg TXA/kg 6 h after the first application of TXA (IV2); 3) IV1 regime in combination with a local wash of 2 g of TXA in 50 mL of saline (COMB); 4) topical administration of 2 g of TXA in 50 mL of saline (TOP). RESULTS: Systemic fibrinolysis interference was insignificant in all of the regimens; we did not detect significant differences between IV1, IV2 and COMB in the monitored parameters within the elapsed time after the TKA; IV regimes had the lowest total drainage blood loss; the lowest blood loss was associated with the IV1 and IV2 regimens (IV1, IV2 < COMB < TOP); the lowest incidence of haematomas was in patients treated with TXA topically (i.e., in COMB + TOP). CONCLUSION: The largest antifibrinolytic effect was associated with intravenous administration of TXA. In terms of blood loss, intravenously administered TXA can interfere with the processes associated with the formation of the fibrin plug more efficiently than the simple washing of wound surfaces with TXA.

Long-term survival of the uncemented Balgrist total hip replacement cup.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term clinical and radiographic outcomes of the Balgrist total hip replacement cup. METHODS: We report the results of a retrospective review of 195 total hip prostheses with Balgrist cup implanted in 178 patients. There were 59 men and 119 women with a mean age at surgery of 52.3 years (range, 19-72). Cox regression was used to determine the influence of independent variables on the survivorship of the prosthesis. RESULTS: There were 117 (66 %) of 178 patients, and 131 (67 %) of 195 hips available for assessment at a mean follow-up of 17.4 years. A total of 21 patients (22 hips) were lost from follow-up (12 %). A total of 25 patients (27 hips) required some type of re-operation during the follow-up period. Eight of 27 re-operations (30 %) were directly caused by the Balgrist cup failure due to fatigue fracture of the metallic shell (n = 5; 19 %), polyethylene wear (n = 2; 7 %) and aseptic loosening (n = 1; 4 %). The mean polyethylene wear rate was 0.068 mm/year (range, 0.008-0.230; SD = 0.043). The risk of re-operation for any reason was decreased with dysplastic hip as a primary diagnosis (hazard ratio; HR = 0.250; 95 % CI 0.086-0.725) and with greater age at the time of surgery (HR = 0.923; 95 % CI 0.880-0.969). The 19-year survivorship with re-operation for any reason was 75.6 % (95 % CI 67.0-84.2). The 19-year survivorship with re-operation for the Balgrist cup failure was 90.5 % (95 % CI 83.4-97.6). CONCLUSIONS: The Balgrist cup continues to provide excellent clinical and radiological outcomes. This is associated at least in part with a low polyethylene wear rate. The main reason for the Balgrist cup failure is fatigue fracture of the metallic shell.

Advantages and disadvantages of ceramic on ceramic total hip arthroplasty: a review.

BACKGROUND: Ceramic on ceramic (COC) total hip arthroplasty (THA) was developed to reduce wear debris and accordingly, the occurrence of osteolysis and aseptic loosening especially in younger patients. Based on the excellent tribological behavior of current COC bearings and the relatively low biological activity of ceramic particles, significant improvement in survivorship of these implants is expected. METHODS: We used manual search to identify all relevant studies reporting clinical data on COC THAs in PubMed. The objective was to determine whether current COC THA offers a better clinical outcome and survivorship than non-COC THA. RESULTS: Studies with early generation ceramic bearings yielded 68% to 84% mean survivorship at 20 years follow-up which is comparable with the survivorship of non-COC THAs. Studies on current ceramic bearings report a 10-year revision-free interval of 92% to 99%. These outcomes are comparable to the survivorship of the best non-COC THAs. However, there are still concerns regarding fracture of sandwich ceramic liners, squeaking, and impingement of the femoral neck on the rim of the ceramic liner leading to chipping, especially in younger and physically active patients. CONCLUSION: Current COC THA leads to equivalent but not improved survivorship at 10 years follow-up in comparison to the best non-COC THA. Based on this review, we recommend that surgeons weigh the potential advantages and disadvantages of current COC THA in comparison to other bearing surfaces when considering young very active patients who are candidates for THA.

Male gender, Charnley class C, and severity of bone defects predict the risk for aseptic loosening in the cup of ABG I hip arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: We studied which factor could predict aseptic loosening in ABG I hip prosthesis with hydroxyapatite coating. Aseptic loosening and periprosthetic osteolysis are believed to be caused, at least in part, by increased polyethylene (PE) wear rate via particle disease. Based on it, increased PE wear rate should be associated with aseptic loosening regardless of the type of implant. METHODS: We analyzed data from 155 revisions of ABG I hip prostheses to examine the influence of patient, implant, surgery, and wear related factors on the rate of aseptic loosening at the site of the cup. This was calculated by stepwise logistic regression analysis. The stability of the implant and severity of bone defects were evaluated intraoperatively. RESULTS: We found that men (odds ratio, OR = 5.6; p = 0.004), patients with Charnley class C (OR = 6.71; p = 0.013), those having more severe acetabular bone defects (OR = 4 for each degree of severity; p = 0.002), and longer time to revision surgery (OR = 1.51 for each additional year; p = 0.012) had a greater chance of aseptic loosening of the cup. However, aseptic loosening was not directly predicted by polyethylene wear rate in our patients. CONCLUSION: Severity of bone defects predicts the risk for aseptic loosening in ABG I cup. Factors potentially associated with the quality of bone bed and biomechanics of the hip might influence on the risk of aseptic loosening in this implant.