Cryotherapy with Dynamic Intermittent Compression Improves Recovery from Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract Purpose The goal of this study was to Assess the efficacy of cryotherapy with dynamic intermittent compression (CDIC) in Relieving post operative pain, decreasing blood loss and improving functional scores after revision total knee arthroplasty (rTKA). Methods we conducted a prospective case-control study. (Level of evidence: I) to evaluate the efficacy of CDIC on postoperative bleeding, pain and functional outcomes after rTKA. 43 cases were included at a single institution and divided in two groups: a control group without CDIC (n = 19) and an experimental group with CDIC (n = 24).Bleeding was evaluated by calculating total blood loss; pain at rest was evaluated with a visual analogue scale (VAS) on postoperative day 3; function was assessed using the Oxford score at 6 months postoperative. The comparative analysis was performed using Fisher’s exact test Results The CDIC group had significantly lower total blood loss (260 ml vs 465 ml, P < 0.05), significantly less pain on day 3 (1 vs 3, P < 0.05) and a significantly higher functional score (42 vs 40, P < 0.05) than the control group. Conclusion This is the first report dealing with the use of CDIC after rTKA. According to our results , it improves the recovery of patients who underwent revision TKA, thus it should be integrated into our daily practice.