Two doses of low-dose perioperative dexamethasone improve the clinical outcome after total knee arthroplasty: a randomized controlled study

Purpose To study the clinical effect and safety of two doses of low-dose perioperative dexamethasone on pain and recovery after total knee arthroplasty. Methods A total of 108 patients were included in this randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. They received two doses of 10 mg IV dexamethasone (group Dexa) or IV isotonic saline (group Placebo). The CRP, IL-6 and pain levels, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) incidence, nausea severity, postoperative fatigue, range of motion, length of stay, analgesic rescue and antiemetic rescue consumption, and complications were compared. Results The CRP and IL-6 levels in group Dexa were lower than in group Placebo at 24, 48, and 72 h postoperatively ( P