Liposomal bupivacaine periarticular injection (PAI) offers sustained bupivacaine release after TKA, but few prospective independent studies exist. In this prospective, blinded study, liposomal bupivacaine was randomized against bupivacaine and incorporated into a comprehensive multimodal pain management protocol. 111 primary TKAs were randomized to receive PAI: 58 patients received 266 mg (20cc) liposomal bupivacaine mixed with 75 mg (30cc) 0.25% bupivacaine, and 53 patients received 150 mg (60cc) 0.25% bupivacaine. Visual analog pain scores and narcotic use were determined. No pain score differences occurred between study and control patients: Day 1: 4.5/4.6 (P=0.73); Day 2: 4.4/4.8 (P=0.27); or Day 3: 3.5/3.7 (P=0.58). Narcotic use was similar during hospitalization, 51.8/54.2 (P=0.34). The study medication costs $285, and the control medication costs $2.80. This finding does not justify the routine use of liposomal bupivacaine.

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Aims To date, no study has demonstrated an improvement in postoperative outcomes following elective joint arthroplasty with a focus on nutritional intervention for patients with preoperative hypoalbuminaemia. In this prospective study, we evaluated differences in the hospital length of stay (LOS), rate of re-admission, and total patient charges for a malnourished patient study population who received a specific nutrition protocol before surgery. Patients and Methods An analytical report was extracted from the electronic medical record (EMR; Epic, Verona, Wisconsin) of a five-hospital network joint arthroplasty patient data set between 2014 and 2017. A total of 4733 patients underwent joint arthroplasty and had preoperative measurement of albumin levels: 2220 at four hospitals and 2513 at the study hospital. Albumin ≤ 3.4 g/l, designated as malnutrition, was found in 543 patients (11.5%). A nutritional intervention programme focusing on a high-protein, anti-inflammatory diet was initiated in January 2017 at one study hospital. Hospital LOS, re-admission rate, and 90-day charges were compared for differential change between patients in study and control hospitals for all elective hip and knee arthroplasty patients, and for malnourished patients over time as the nutrition intervention was implemented. Results Malnourished patients with nutritional intervention at the study hospital had shorter hospital LOS beginning in 2017 than malnourished patients at control hospitals during the same period (p = 0.04). Similarly, this cohort had significantly lower primary hospitalization charges, charges associated with hospital re-admissions, and 90-day total charges (p < 0.001). Inclusion of covariant potential confounders (age, anaemia, diabetes, and obesity) did not alter the conclusions of the primary statistical analysis. Conclusion Joint arthroplasty outcomes were positively affected in study patients with low albumin when a high-protein, anti-inflammatory diet was encouraged. Elective surgery was neither cancelled nor delayed with a malnutrition designation. While the entire network population experienced improved postoperative outcomes, malnourished control patients did not experience this improvement. This study demonstrated that education on malnutrition can benefit patients. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2019;101-B(7 Supple C):17–21