Tourniquet Use Is Associated With Reduced Blood Loss and Fewer Reoperations in Aseptic Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: Although tourniquet use in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has been widely studied, the outcomes associated with tourniquet use in revision TKA (rTKA) remains relatively unexplored. This study investigates surgical outcomes and patient satisfaction in association with tourniquet use during aseptic rTKA.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all patients who underwent rTKA for aseptic causes at our institution from 2011 to 2020. Patients were separated into 2 cohorts based on tourniquet inflation during the procedure. Outcomes of interest included estimated blood loss, change in hemoglobin, surgical time, length of stay, reoperation rate, and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for Joint Replacement (KOOS, JR) scores.
Results: Of the 1212 patients included, 1007 (83%) underwent aseptic rTKA with the use of a tourniquet and 205 (17%) without the use of a tourniquet. The mean tourniquet inflation time was 93.0 minutes (standard deviation 33.3 minutes). Blood loss was significantly less for patients in the tourniquet cohort as measured through estimated blood loss (224.1 vs 325.1 mL, P < .001) and change in preoperative to postoperative hemoglobin (1.75 vs 2.04 g/dL, P < .001). There were no statistical differences in surgical time (P = .267) and length of stay (P = .206) between the 2 groups. The reoperation rate was significantly greater for patients who did not have a tourniquet utilized (20.5% vs 15.0%, P = .038). Delta improvement in KOOS, JR scores from baseline to 3 months postoperatively did not statistically differ between the 2 cohorts (P = .560).
Conclusion: Although delta improvements in KOOS, JR scores were similar for both cohorts, patients who did not have a tourniquet inflated during aseptic rTKA had increased blood loss and were more likely to undergo subsequent reoperation compared to patients who did.
Level Iii Evidence: Retrospective Cohort Study.
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