50 research outputs found
Healing of surgical site after total hip and knee replacements show similar telethermographic patterns
BACKGROUND: Isolated reports indicate the efficacy of infrared thermography for
monitoring wound healing and septic complications, but no long-term analysis has
ever been performed on this, and there are no data on the telethermographic
patterns of surgical site healing after uncomplicated total hip prosthesis and
after knee prosthesis.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective, observational, nonrandomized cohort
study, two groups with forty consecutive patients each, who were operated on
respectively for total hip and for total knee replacements, underwent
telethermographic examination of the operated and contralateral joints prior to
and at fixed intervals for up to 1\ua0year after uncomplicated surgery. A digital,
portable telethermocamera and dedicated software were used for data acquisition
and processing.
RESULTS: No thermographic difference was observed preoperatively between the
affected side and the contralateral side in both groups. After the intervention,
a steep increase in the temperature of the operated joint was recorded after
total hip replacement and after knee replacement, with a peak mean differential
temperature measured three days postoperatively between the operated and
unoperated joint of 3.1\ua0\ub1\ua00.8\ub0C after total hip replacement, and 3.4\ua0\ub1\ua00.7\ub0C
after total knee replacement. Thereafter, the mean differential temperature
declined slowly to 0.7\ua0\ub1\ua01.1\ub0C and to 0.5\ua0\ub1\ua01.3\ub0C at 60\ua0days, and to 0.0\ua0\ub1\ua01.0\ub0C
and -0.1\ua0\ub1\ua01.1\ub0C 90\ua0days post-operatively, respectively. No further changes were
observed for up to 1\ua0year after surgery. Results were similar when comparing the
average telethermographic values of an elliptical area where the main axis
corresponded to the surgical wound.
CONCLUSIONS: The surgical sites after uncomplicated total hip or total knee
replacement show similar telethermographic patterns for up to 1\ua0year from
surgery, and can easily be monitored using a portable, digital, telethermocamera