Does Dexamethasone Reduce Hospital Readiness for Discharge, Pain, Nausea, and Early Patient Satisfaction in Hip and Knee Arthroplasty? A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

164 patients scheduled for either total knee arthroplasty or total hip arthroplasty were randomized to perioperative intravenous administration of either dexamethasone 8mg or placebo. Primary outcome was time to discharge readiness. Results demonstrated a significant reduction in time to discharge readiness with the use of IV dexamethasone among patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty, though no significant difference was observed between IV dexamethasone and placebo in patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty. In addition, overall length of hospital stay did not significantly differ between groups in either hip or knee arthroplasty patient cohorts.