Perioperative haematological outcomes following total knee arthroplasty in haemophiliacs

Purpose: Patients with haemophilia suffer from recurrent joint haemarthrosis. This can progress to symptomatic arthropathy commonly affecting the knee. While modern coagulation strategies have reduced those proceeding to end-stage arthropathy, total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains the optimal treatment for some patients. Despite innovation in perioperative haematological management, concerns about the potential for excessive haemorrhage still exist. The aim of this study is to quantify immediate postoperative blood loss and haematological complications in haemophiliacs following TKA. Methods: A retrospective study of patients with haemophilia types A or B who underwent a TKA over a 12-year period at a single institution was conducted. These patients were compared to both a non-haemophiliac control group and to published standards in non-haemophiliacs undergoing TKA. Results: Twenty-one TKA procedures in 18 patients (72% haemophilia A, 28% haemophilia B) were suitable for inclusion with a mean age of 44 years. The mean haemoglobin drops at 24 and 48 h postoperatively were 2.7 g/dl and 3.8 g/dl respectively. There was no significant difference in haemoglobin drop at 48 h postoperatively when compared to the non-haemophiliac control group (P = 0.2644). There were no immediate perioperative complications and two patients (9.6%) required postoperative transfusion. Conclusion: Haemophiliacs undergoing a unilateral primary TKA in a specialised tertiary referral centre appear to have comparable rates of perioperative blood loss when compared to both a non-haemophiliac control group as and published haemostatic standards in non-haemophiliac patients following TKA. Perioperative management with expert orthopaedic and haematological input is recommended to optimise outcomes in this complex patient group.