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The goal of this prospective, double-blind study was to ascertain if the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) stay of outpatients receiving epidural anesthesia for knee arthroscopy is decreased by injection of epidural saline at the end of the case.Twenty healthy patients undergoing knee arthroscopy received lumbar epidural anesthesia with 2% lidocaine. At the end of surgery, in a double-blind design, group 1 patients (intervention group) received 20 mL 0.9% saline injected into the epidural catheter. Patients in group 2 (control group) had 1 mL 0.9% saline injected into the epidural catheter. In the PACU, the epidural catheter was removed, and motor block was assessed at 15-minute intervals according to the Bromage scale. Standard discharge criteria for our ambulatory surgery center were followed.Patients who received 20 mL epidural 0.9% saline remained in phase I (intensive nursing) 83 +/- 8 minutes compared with control patients who stayed 110 +/- 8 minutes (P.01). Nonmedical issues related to the unavailability of the patients transportation or waiting for medications to be issued from the pharmacy delayed discharge from phase II (non-nursing) in 70% of group 1 patients and 60% of group 2 patients. Time to actual hospital dismissal for group I was 119 +/- 14 minutes, compared with 159 +/- 13 minutes (P.05) for group 2.Patients receiving epidural anesthesia for knee arthroscopy had a shorter PACU stay if they received an injection of saline into the epidural space at the end of surgery.

Although the majority of patients with immune-mediated inflammatory arthritis are managed conservatively, some patients may require synovectomy if they have persistent pain secondary to chronic unresponsive swelling of a joint. In this study, three methods of synovial ablation using laser energy, electrocautery, and mechanical debridement were compared in an in vivo chronic synovitis rabbit model. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS, AND METHODS: In the first phase of this study, the optimal laser energy/pulse frequency combination for synovial ablation in this model was determined. In the study's second phase, 48 mature rabbits were then divided into four equal groups: laser synovectomy, electrocautery synovectomy, mechanical synovectomy, and control. Chronic synovitis was induced in both stifles of all treatment groups and in the right stifle of the control rabbits. Synovectomy was performed on one stifle of each rabbit; the contralateral stifle served as a sham-operated control. Six rabbits per group were euthanized 2 weeks and 3 months after surgery, respectively.There were no differences among groups in synovial fluid parameters, except at 2 weeks, when the electrocautery group had significantly more white blood cells than the laser and mechanical debridement groups. Histologic examination revealed that mechanical debridement resulted in significantly more synovial hemorrhage, capillary dilatation, plasma cell infiltration, lymphocyte infiltration, joint capsular defects, and poorer synovial ablation than ablation achieved with either laser energy or electrocautery.Laser energy and electrocautery achieved similar results when used for ablative purposes, although electrocautery did not achieve the same degree of synovial ablation as laser energy.

A retrospective study was conducted in which several parameters of postoperative recovery were compared between 2 groups of patients: 25 patients who had lateral retinacular release surgery in which the holmium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Ho:YAG) laser was used, and a control group of 17 patients who had the same surgery in which electrocautery was used. Postoperative recovery times of patients treated with the Ho:YAG laser were significantly decreased as compared with the recovery rates of patients in the control group. Morbidity also was reduced in the group for whom the laser was used. The results of this study indicate that the 2.1-micron-wave-length, pulsed Ho:YAG laser can be used safely and effectively to perform lateral retinacular release surgery.

Recurrent dislocation of the proximal tibiofibular joint is a rare injury. It has been reported in parachutists and water-skiers. A technique for reconstructing the joint by using an iliotibial band fascial graft is described. This technique is recommended for recurrent dislocations of a nonarthritic proximal tibiofibular joint.