A Multimodal Clinical Pathway Can Reduce Length of Stay After Total Knee Arthroplasty

Clinical pathways reduce length of stay which is critical for hospitals to remain financially sound. We sought to determine if a multimodal pathway focusing on pre-op discharge planning and pre-emptive pain and nausea management lead to reduced length of stay, better pain management, and more rapid functional gains without an increase in post-op complications. A multimodal pathway incorporating pre-op discharge planning and pre-emptive pain and nausea management was initiated in August of 2007. Physical therapy began the day of surgery. Two hundred eleven patients treated over a 3-month period with the new pathway were compared to 192 patients treated in the last 3 months of an older pathway. Length of stay, VAS scores for pain, and the incidence of nausea were compared. Length of time to achieve functional milestones while in hospital and the incidence of complications out to 6 months were compared. Average length of stay was reduced by 0.26 days. VAS scores for pain were lower. Several functional milestones were achieved earlier and complications were not increased. Efforts to control nausea were not successful and severe nausea was experienced in 40% of patients in both groups. This enhanced pathway can lead to an important reduction in length of stay. Although this reduction seems small, it can significantly increase patient throughput and increase hospital capacity. Post-op nausea continues to be an impediment in patient care after TKR

Perioperative Dexamethasone Does Not Affect Functional Outcome in Total Hip Arthroplasty

Current trends in orthopaedic surgery have explored different forms of adjuvant treatments to minimize postoperative pain and the risk of nausea and vomiting. A small single preoperative dose of dexamethasone, as part of a comprehensive multimodal analgesic regimen in low-risk patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA), provides antiemetic and opioid-sparing effects but the longer-term effects on pain, complications, or function are not known. We therefore asked whether such a routine would affect longer-term pain, complications, or function. Fifty patients undergoing elective primary THA using spinal anesthesia were initially randomized to receive either dexamethasone (40 mg intravenous) or saline placebo. The patients, anesthesiologists, nurses, and research coordinators were blinded to the study arms. The functional outcome was measured using the Harris hip score. Outcomes were assessed 6 weeks and 1 year postoperatively. We observed no difference in resting pain between the two groups at either time period. Both groups had similar functional outcome scores for the total Harris hip score and individual scoring items at each followup interval. There were no wound complications, deep infections, or osteonecrosis in the contralateral hip at 1-year followup. We recommend the addition of a small single preoperative dose of dexamethasone to a comprehensive multimodal analgesic regimen in low-risk patients given its immediate antiemetic and opioid-sparing effects, and absence of subsequent effects