Comparative analysis of blood loss after total knee replacement in tourniquet and non-tourniquet group.

Backgrobund: The primary aim of using tourniquet during surgery is to keep the surgical fi eld clean. However the total amount of blood loss by using or not using tourniquet is still controversial. Objective: To compare the mean amount of blood loss in total knee arthroplasty patients with and without tourniquet. Materials and Methods: It was a randomized controlled trial in the Department of Orthopaedic from July 2015 to June 2016. 120 patients were randomly allocated in tourniquet and nontourniquet group. All operations were performed under spinal anaesthesia by one surgeon. Th ose in group A were had TKA under tourniquet aft er the leg has been exsanguinated. The tourniquet pressure was twice the systolic blood pressure. Patients in group B were not had tourniquet applied to the leg. Mean amount of blood loss was calculated per-operatively using the number of sponges soaked and the volume of blood in suction bott le. Post-operative blood loss was calculated by the volume of blood in drains measured on daily basis for initial 48 hrs. Results: The mean ages of the patients were 68.40±6.55 in group A and 67.43±5.95 in group B. The mean blood loss of patients in group A was 307.33±36.03 mL while in group B, 425.67±21.04 mL. Statistically the diff erence between the two groups is significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: The use of a tourniquet during total knee arthroplasty was eff ective for reducing blood loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]