Riassunto dello studio

Sixty-two patients with end-stage knee arthritis were randomized to receive either limited tourniquet application (n=31) or full tourniquet application (n=31) during primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The primary outcome of interest was the measurement of intraoperative, postoperative, total, and hidden blood loss. Secondary outcomes of interest included surgical field clearance, operative duration, and perioperative complications. Outcomes were assessed up to six months. Overall, the results of the study revealed no significant difference in total, hidden, or postoperative blood loss between the groups. However, mean intraoperative blood loss was significantly lower in the full-application group compared to the limited-application group. Limited tourniquet application was found to be safe and did not increase the incidence of perioperative complications or total blood loss when compared with a standard, full-time tourniquet application.