Effect Of Total Knee Replacement Surgery On Skeletal Muscle Cell Signaling And Gene Expression

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Americans over the age of 65 represent the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, thus it is not surprising to learn that the number of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgeries is predicted to increase as much as 673% by 2030, to 3.48 million procedures per year. By far the most significant clinical barrier following TKA surgery is persistent muscle atrophy and weakness. During TKA a tourniquet is used to reduce blood loss and maintain a clear surgical field. The tourniquet-induced ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury that results may contribute to the extensive muscle atrophy observed following this surgery. Additional research is necessary in order to better understand the effects of ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) on human skeletal muscle.