3-h drain clamping is not effective to reduce total blood loss after primary total knowledge

Purpose Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a clinically efficacious surgical option for end-stage knee osteoarthritis. However, TKA increases the risk of serious bleeding and blood transfusion. The objective of this study was to evaluate the difference in postoperative blood loss in groups subjected to 3 h of clamping and non-clamping and determine the variations in rate and amount of transfusion after TKA between the two groups. Materials and methods Propensity score matching of the group subjected to 3-h drain clamping (43 patients; September 2015 to April 2016) and the control group (43 patients; before initiating the clamping method) was performed in patients undergoing unilateral primary posterior stabilized TKA. The two groups were compared. We measured the total drained blood volume until the drain was removed 48 h after surgery, and we compared the preoperative levels of hemoglobin and hematocrit with levels observed on days 1 and 2 after surgery. We also determined the blood transfusion rate and volume as well as the occurrence of clamping-associated complications. Results In the group subjected to 3-h drain clamping, the mean volume of total drained blood was significantly lower than in the control group (333.8 ± 190.2 mL vs. 839.9 ± 339.8 mL, P