Søren Solgaard

Orthostatic intolerance during early mobilization after fast-track hip arthroplasty

BACKGROUND Early postoperative mobilization is a cornerstone in fast-track total hip arthroplasty (THA), but postoperative orthostatic intolerance (OI) may delay early recovery or lead to fainting, falls, and prosthesis dislocation or fracture. However, the prevalence and pathophysiology of OI has not been established after THA. This study evaluated the cardiovascular response and tissue oxygenation to mobilization before and after surgery in relation to OI in fast-track THA patients. METHODS OI and the cardiovascular response to standing were evaluated with a standardized mobilization protocol, before, 6, and 24 h after surgery in 26 patients undergoing THA with spinal anaesthesia and an opioid-sparing analgesic regime. Haemoglobin, fluid balance, and opioid use were recorded. Systolic (SAP) and diastolic (DAP) arterial pressure, heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO), and systemic vascular resistance were measured non-invasively (Nexfin(®)) and cerebral ( ) and muscle tissue oxygenation by non-infrared spectroscopy. RESULTS No patients demonstrated OI before surgery, whereas 11 (42%) and five (19%) patients experienced OI 6 and 24 h after surgery, respectively. OI was associated with decreased orthostatic responses in SAP, DAP, SV, CO, and compared with orthostatic tolerant patients (P<0.05). There was no difference in postoperative haemoglobin concentrations or opioid use between orthostatic intolerant and tolerant patients. CONCLUSIONS Early postoperative OI is common in patients undergoing THA and is associated with an impaired cardiovascular orthostatic response and decreased cerebral oxygenation.

Cognitive Dysfunction After Fast-Track Hip and Knee Replacement

BACKGROUND:Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is reported to occur after major surgery in as many as 20% of patients, elderly patients may especially experience problems in the weeks and months after surgery. Recent studies vary greatly in methods of evaluation and diagnosis of POCD, and the pathogenic mechanisms are still unclear. We evaluated a large uniform cohort of elderly patients in a standardized approach, after major joint replacement surgery (total hip and knee replacement). Patients were in an optimized perioperative approach (fast track) with multimodal opioid-sparing analgesia, early mobilization, and short length of stay (LOS ⩽3 days) and discharged to home. METHODS:In a prospective multicenter study, we included 225 patients aged ≥60 years undergoing well-defined fast-track total hip or total knee replacement. Patients had neuropsychological testing preoperatively and 1 to 2 weeks and 3 months postoperatively. LOS, pain, opioid use, inflammatory response, and sleep quality were recorded. The practice effect of repeated cognitive testing was gauged using data from a healthy community-dwelling control group (n = 161). RESULTS:Median LOS was 2 days (interquartile range 2–3). The incidence of POCD at 1 to 2 weeks was 9.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.4%–13.1%) and 8.0% (95% CI, 4.5%–12.0%) at 3 months. There was no statistically significant difference between patients with and without early POCD, regarding pain, opioid use, sleep quality, or C-reactive protein response, although the CIs were wide. Patients with early POCD had a higher Mini Mental State Examination score preoperatively (difference in medians 0.5 [95% CI, −1.0% to 0.0%]; P = 0.034). If there was an association between early POCD and late POCD, the sample size was unfortunately too small to verify this (23.6% of patients with early POCD had late onset vs 6.7% in non-POCD group; risk difference 16.9 (95% CI, −2.1% to 41.1%; P = 0.089). CONCLUSIONS:The incidence of POCD early after total hip and knee replacement seems to be lower after a fast-track approach than rates previously reported for these procedures, but late POCD occurred with an incidence similar to that in previous studies of major noncardiac elective surgery. No association between early and late POCD could be verified.

A pilot study of the effects of Vivostat patient-derived fibrin sealant in reducing blood loss in primary hip arthroplasty.

A pilot study evaluated the effectiveness of Vivostat patient-derived fibrin sealant in reducing blood loss in patients who underwent primary hip arthroplasty. Eighty adult patients undergoing elective surgery were randomized to receive either Vivostat sealant or control (no additional hemostatic treatment). Patients allocated Vivostat sealant donated 120 mL of blood, which was then processed perioperatively to produce a fibrin sealant that was applied to the bleeding wound surfaces just before closure. Transfusion requirements, blood loss during surgery, drain volumes, and daily hematocrit and hemoglobin levels were measured. Hospitalization times, adverse events, and postoperative wound complications were also monitored. Blood loss during surgery and wound drainage volume was lower in the Vivostat group than in the control group, although the differences were not significantly different. Transfusion requirements (median, 270 mL of packed red blood cells) and hospitalization times (both median 7 days) were the same for both groups. No adverse events related to the use of Vivostat occurred. There were indications of a possible reduction in the incidence of postoperative wound oozing (15% vs 25%) and hematomas (6% vs 11%) with the use of Vivostat compared with the control group, although differences were not statistically significant. In conclusion, in this pilot study, use of Vivostat patient-derived fibrin in hip arthroplasty was not associated with a significant reduction in blood loss. Further studies, with larger numbers of patients, may be warranted to investigate a possible benefit of Vivostat in reducing postoperative wound complications.

Chronic pre-operative opioid use and acute pain after fast-track total knee arthroplasty

Pre‐operative opioid use has been suggested to increase post‐operative pain and opioid consumption after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), but previous studies are either retrospective or inhomogeneous with regard to surgical procedures or control of analgesic regimes, or with few opioid‐treated patients, hindering firm conclusions.

Renal function after elective total hip replacement

Background and purpose — Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with increased short-term and long-term mortality in intensive care populations and in several surgical specialties, but there are very few data concerning orthopedic populations. We have studied the incidence of AKI and the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in an elective population of orthopedic patients undergoing primary total hip replacement, hypothesizing that chronic kidney disease predisposes to AKI. Patients and methods — This was a single-center, population-based, retrospective, registry-based cohort study involving all primary elective total hip replacements performed from January 2003 through December 2012. Patient demographics and creatinine values were registered. We evaluated the presence of CKD and AKI according to the international guidelines for kidney disease (KDIGO Acute Kidney Injury Workgroup 2013). Results — 3,416 patients were included (2,064 females (60%)). AKI (according to KDIGO criteria) was seen in 75 patients (2.2%, 95% CI: 1.7–2.7) in the course of primary total hip replacement. Of these, 26 had pre-existing CKD of class 3–5. Pre-existing CKD of class 3–5, indicating moderately to severely reduced kidney function, was seen in 374 individuals (11%). Interpretation — Development of acute kidney injury appears to be a substantial problem compared to other complications related to elective total hip arthroplasty, i.e. luxation and infection. Patients with pre-existing chronic kidney disease may be especially vulnerable. The clinical impact of acute kidney injury in an elective orthopedic population remains to be elucidated.

Trilogy-Constrained Acetabular Component for Recurrent Dislocation

32 patients received a Trilogy- or Trilogy-Longevity-constrained acetabular liner for recurrent dislocations after total hip replacement. The constrained liner was inserted into a well-fixed Trilogy acetabular shell with snap fit. At 1.8-year followup (range 3–63 months), 4 patients had suffered further dislocation(s) (12%), and one patient had revision surgery for a loosened acetabular shell. Radiologic evaluation detected no definitively loose components, but one patient with progressing radiolucent lines around the femoral component and one patient with an acetabular cyst were found, as well as a patient with a loose locking ring (but otherwise no failure). The nineteen patients who were available for the present followup had a mean Harris Hip Score of 81. The constrained liner is an effective method of dealing with recurrent dislocations in well-fixed components.

Oral Midodrine Hydrochloride for Prevention of Orthostatic Hypotension during Early Mobilization after Hip Arthroplasty: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial.

Background:Early postoperative mobilization is essential for rapid recovery but may be impaired by orthostatic intolerance (OI) and orthostatic hypotension (OH), which are highly prevalent after major surgery. Pathogenic mechanisms include an insufficient postoperative vasopressor response. The oral &agr;-1 agonist midodrine hydrochloride increases vascular resistance, and the authors hypothesized that midodrine would reduce the prevalence of OH during mobilization 6 h after total hip arthroplasty relative to placebo. Methods:This double-blind, randomized trial allocated 120 patients 18 yr or older and scheduled for total hip arthroplasty under spinal anesthesia to either 5 mg midodrine hydrochloride or placebo orally 1 h before mobilization at 6 and 24 h postoperatively. The primary outcome was the prevalence of OH (decrease in systolic or diastolic arterial pressures of > 20 or 10 mmHg, respectively) during mobilization 6 h after surgery. Secondary outcomes were OI and hemodynamic responses to mobilization at 6 and 24 h. Results:At 6 h, 14 (25%; 95% CI, 14 to 38%) versus 23 (39.7%; 95% CI, 27 to 53%) patients had OH in the midodrine and placebo group, respectively, relative risk 0.63 (0.36 to 1.10; P = 0.095), whereas OI was present in 15 (25.0%; 15 to 38%) versus 22 (37.3%; 25 to 51%) patients, relative risk 0.68 (0.39 to 1.18; P = 0.165). At 24 h, OI and OH prevalence did not differ between groups. Conclusions:Preemptive use of oral 5 mg midodrine did not significantly reduce the prevalence of OH during early postoperative mobilization compared with placebo. However, further studies on dose and timing are warranted since midodrine is effective in chronic OH conditions.

Survival of autotransfused red cells. 51Cr studies in 10 knee arthroplasty patients.

We determined the long-term survival of red blood cells collected postoperatively from the surgical drains, filtered and autotransfused with the Constavac Blood Conservation System. 10 patients with knee arthrosis were treated with cementless total knee arthroplasty and postoperatively connected to the autotransfusion system. Shed blood was collected for 6 hours postoperatively and then reinfused. Before reinfusion, a fraction of the blood shed was radiolabeled with chromium-51 (51Cr). For a postoperative minimum period of 40 days the activity of 51Cr was measured in frequent venous blood samples. The time from 100% to 50% activity of the isotope (T50Cr) was 21 days, equal to that reported for banked autologous blood.

Postoperative anemia and early functional outcomes after fast-track hip arthroplasty: a prospective cohort study

Postoperative anemia is prevalent in fast‐track hip arthroplasty (THA) where patients are mobilized and discharged early, but whether anemia impairs functional recovery after discharge has not been adequately evaluated previously. This study aimed to evaluate whether postoperative anemia influenced recovery of mobility and quality of life (Qol) during the first 2 weeks after discharge from THA.

Evaluation of 100 Müller curved-stem and 276 Müller long-stem total hip arthroplasties after 10 to 15 years of follow-up.

This study evaluates 376 total hip arthroplasties performed between 1978 and 1983 using 276 Müller long-stem and 100 Müller curved-stem prostheses. Demographic and clinical data were obtained from patient records. All patients still alive who did not undergo revision arthroplasty were sent a detailed questionnaire. Results indicated that long-term survival of the femoral component of the arthroplasty was significantly better when the Müller long-stem was used. Furthermore, there was no difference in the clinical out-come between patients who underwent revision and those who did not. To eliminate demographic differences between the two groups, 77 patients from each group were paired. There was no difference in clinical results of the hips between the paired groups, and long-term survival of the Müller long-stem was still significantly better using Kaplan-Meier analysis.