Fat emboli in total knee arthroplasty: a prospective randomized study of computer-assisted navigation vs standard surgical technique.

46 patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty were randomized to undergo surgery with either computer-assisted navigation or a standard technique in order to determine effects on fat emboli prevalence. Transesophageal echocardiography of the right atrium was used for the detection of fat emboli for 5 consecutive 1-minute intervals. A score from 0-9 was assigned based on embolism size, amount of atrium filled, and duration of embolic shower. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the mean score at any of the time points.