Background: The application of tranexamic acid (TXA) in total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has brought momentous changes in blood management. However, the optimal regimen of TXA has not yet been identified. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of a three-day prolongedcourse of multiple-dose of TXA with a single pre-operative dose of TXA in patients who undergo THA and TKA.Method: We retrospectively analyzed two groups of consecutive patients who received primary unilateral THA and TKA from 2015 to 2017. One group received a three-day prolonged-course of multiple-dose of TXA, while another group received a single-dose of TXA. The primary outcomes included the changes in hemoglobin (Hb), estimated total blood loss (TBL), and transfusion rate; the secondary outcomes included the platelet (PLT) counts, inflammatory markers, and fibrinolysis parameters.Results: A total of 193 THA and 166 TKA procedures were included for comparison. Compared with the patients who received a single-dose of TXA, the patients who received a three-day prolonged-course of multiple-dose of TXA had smaller post-operative drops in Hb levels, which led to consistently significantly higher Hb levels in both THA and TKA. Therefore, the use of multiple-dose of TXA was associated with significantly lower maximum Hb drops and estimated TBL in both THA (24.58±11.43 vs. 30.38±11.33 g/L, P=0.001; 685.88±412.02 vs. 968.94±479.9 mL, P<0.0001) and TKA (18.04±9.75 vs. 27.24±10.99 g/L, P<0.0001; 497.35±291.03 vs. 816.51±354.38 mL, P<0.0001), and marginally reduced transfusion requirements (THA: 1/65 vs. 10/128; TKA: 0/70 vs. 2/96). The multiple-dose group also showed higher PLT counts, continuously reduced inflammatory responses, and significantly and durably attenuated fibrinolytic responses.Conclusions: A three-day prolonged-course of multiple-dose of TXA was consistently effective in reducing post-operative Hb drops, estimated TBL, inflammatory responses, and fibrinolytic responses, which could be recommended for clinical practice. However, these findings need to be confirmed by prospective studies.

Background Questions remain, mainly concerning whether tranexamic acid (TXA) is truly safe since all available trials were underpowered to identify clinically important differences. The objective of this study is to evaluate the safety of TXA by using a novel technique—thromboelastography (TEG). Methods A retrospective review was conducted on 359 consecutive patients who underwent primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and received multiple-dose or single-dose of TXA at a tertiary academic center. TEG parameters, TEG coagulation status, conventional coagulation test parameters, and incidence of thrombotic events were used for safety evaluation. Results Compared with single-dose cohort, patients who received multiple-dose of TXA had consistent statistically significant shortened R times on post-operative day 1 (POD1) and POD3 in both THA (POD1: 4.06 ± 0.71 s versus 4.45 ± 1.28 s, P = 0.011; POD3: 4.36 ± 0.83 s versus 5.12 ± 1.64 s, P < 0.0001) and TKA (POD1: 3.90 ± 0.73 s versus 4.29 ± 0.92 s, P = 0.011; POD3: 4.24 ± 0.94 s versus 4.65 ± 1.07 s, P = 0.023), while the K, α-angle, and MA values were similar during the perioperative period. TEG coagulation status analysis indicated that patients were significantly ( P = 0.003) more likely with hypercoagulable status during the course of multiple-dose TXA. Conventional coagulation test parameters were similar. Only one patient developed calf vein thrombosis in the multiple-dose cohort. Conclusions Multiple-dose of TXA was associated with aggravated hypercoagulable state when compared with single-dose of TXA, but this prothrombotic state does not provoke thrombosis when combined with appropriate anticoagulant therapy. Therefore, multiple-dose of TXA remains safe and could be recommended for clinical practice. Potential benefits and possible risks should be trade-off when considering increasing the dosage and frequency of TXA on the present basis. Trial registration ChiCTR1800015422 .

Background. Femoral bone remodeling around hip prosthesis after total hip arthroplasty (THA) is definite but unpredictable in time and place. This study aimed to investigate the implant-specific remodeling and periprosthetic bone mineral density (BMD) changes after implantation of the Ribbed anatomic cementless femoral stem. Methods. After power analysis, 41 patients who had undergone primary unilateral THA with the Ribbed anatomic cementless stem were included. BMD of the seven Gruen zones was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and the contact, fitness, and fixation of the femoral stem and proximal femur were analyzed by X-ray. Additional clinical outcome parameters were also recorded. Results. Compared with the contralateral unoperated side, significant reductions of BMD were detected in the distal zone (Gruen zone 4: 1.665±0.198 versus 1.568±0.242 g/cm2, P=0.001) and middle distal zone (Gruen zone 5: 1.660±0.209 versus 1.608±0.215 g/cm2, P=0.026) on the prosthetic side, but no significant differences in BMD were detected in other zones (Gruen zones 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7). Subgroups analyses indicated no significant correlation between periprosthetic BMD changes and clinical factors including primary disease and body mass index. Visible areas of bone ingrowth indicated solid fixation of the femoral stem and there was no case of loosening. Clinical and functional outcome scores were excellent with mean HHS of 93.13 points and mean WOMAC score of 5.20 points, and three patients described intermittent mild thigh pain at the final follow-up. Conclusions. For the Ribbed femoral stem, the periprosthetic BMD was well maintained in the proximal femur, while periprosthetic BMD was significantly reduced in the distal and middle distal zones of the femur. Further clinical investigations are required to examine the efficacy of the Ribbed stem, particularly with regard to long-term survival. This trial is registered with ChiCTR1800017750.

BackgroundCryotherapy is widely applied to relieve pain and improve functional outcomes after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). New cryotherapy devices have recently been developed to guarantee a fixed temperature for a prolonged time. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare continuous cryotherapy and traditional cryotherapy (ice bag or gel pack) for patients after TKA.MethodsThis study was conducted according to a predefined protocol registered on PROSPERO. Two independent reviewers performed an electronic database search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Dichotomous outcomes were reported as risk difference (RD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and continuous outcomes were reported as mean difference (MD), or standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% CIs.ResultsSeven trials enrolling a total of 519 patients were included. There were no differences in pain intensity (MD: −0.54, 95% CI: −1.55 to 0.47; P = 0.30), analgesics consumption (MD: −0.37, 95% CI: −1.28 to 0.55; P = 0.43), postoperative range of motion (MD: 0.47, 95% CI: −4.09 to 5.03; P = 0.84), swelling of the knee joint, blood loss, change in hemoglobin, or transfusion rate. Meanwhile, there were no differences in length of hospital stay (MD: −0.77, 95% CI: −1.62 to 0.08; P = 0.07) and adverse events (RD: 0, 95% CI: −0.02 to 0.03; P = 0.74). In addition, continuous cryotherapy leads to extra costs and resources than traditional cryotherapy.ConclusionsContinuous cryotherapy does not appear to offer significant benefits for TKA when compared with traditional cryotherapy. Based on currently available evidence, traditional cryotherapy is still recommended as continuous cryotherapy is not cost-effective. Further well-designed studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to further confirm these preliminary results. PROSPERO Registration: Identifier [CRD42022308217].

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