Introduction Preoperative anaemia is associated with higher transfusion rates, increased hospital stays and poorer outcomes. Addressing preoperative anaemia is a crucial pillar of Patient Blood Management. Conventionally, patients are listed for surgery and then screened for anaemia in the pre-assessment clinic, followed by referral to their general practitioner. This process involves substantial delays, and poorly treated anaemia often results in perioperative transfusions. We assessed our pathway of immediate haemoglobin testing at the time of listing in conjunction with a dedicated preoperative anaemia clinic for detecting and treating anaemia in primary total knee replacement patients. Materials and methods We compared transfusion rates between anaemic patients undergoing a primary total knee replacement who were treated in this pathway with those who were not. We reviewed the preoperative haemoglobin levels, transfusion rates and treatment for all primary total knee arthroplasty patients over three years amounting to 2296. Results Transfusion rates were significantly lower in the group treated in this pathway compared to those who were not. The treated group also had significantly higher preoperative haemoglobin levels. Discussion and conclusion: Immediate haemoglobin testing in association with a dedicated preoperative anaemia clinic is effective at detecting and treating anaemia in primary total knee replacement patients and reduces transfusion requirements.
Resumo Objetivo A anemia pré-operatória em pacientes ortopédicos, está associada a maiores taxas de transfusão de sangue alogênico, resultando em desfechos mais desfavoráveis. Até 25% dos pacientes encaminhados para cirurgia ortopédica de grande porte, apresentam algum grau de anemia. O controle adequado do sangue do paciente no perioperatório é essencial, a fim de reduzir as sequelas da anemia e a necessidade de transfusões. Avaliamos a eficácia do teste rápido, em conjunto com uma clínica especializada no tratamento da anemia pré-operatória, com o objetivo de detectar e tratar a anemia dos pacientes a serem submetidos a artroplastia total primária do quadril. Métodos A comparação das taxas totais de transfusão de sangue alogênico, foi realizada em pacientes submetidos a artroplastia total primária do quadril, antes e depois da implementação dos testes rápidos e da clínica especializada no tratamento da anemia pré-operatória ao longo de um ano. Também foi feita uma comparação entre os pacientes com anemia, que foram encaminhados para a clínica, com aqueles que não foram encaminhados. Foram revisados os níveis de hemoglobina pré-operatória, as taxas de transfusão de sangue alogênico e o tratamento clínico em 1.095 pacientes. Resultados Houve uma redução significativa nas taxas de transfusão, em pacientes submetidos à ATQ primária, caindo de 10,0% para 6,2% (p <0,05, teste χ2), após a implementação do teste rápido e da clínica especializada em anemia pré-operatória. A taxa de transfusão de sangue alogênico para pacientes anêmicos tratados na clínica foi de 6,7%, em comparação com 26,9% para pacientes anêmicos no pré-operatório, que não foram tratados na clínica (p <0,05, teste exato de Fisher). Em média, o tratamento na clínica aumentou a taxa de hemoglobina dos pacientes em 20 g/L, passando de 104 g/L para 124 g/L p <0,001. Conclusões O teste rápido, juntamente com a clínica especializada no tratamento da anemia pré-operatória, reduziu a necessidade de transfusão de sangue alogênico perioperatório, em pacientes submetidos a artroplastia total primária do quadril, proporcionando uma identificação rápida e um tratamento eficaz da anemia pré-operatória.
Aims There remains a lack of consensus regarding the management of chronic anterior sternoclavicular joint (SCJ) instability. This study aimed to assess whether a standardized treatment algorithm (incorporating physiotherapy and surgery and based on the presence of trauma) could successfully guide management and reduce the number needing surgery. Methods Patients with chronic anterior SCJ instability managed between April 2007 and April 2019 with a standardized treatment algorithm were divided into non-traumatic (offered physiotherapy) and traumatic (offered surgery) groups and evaluated at discharge. Subsequently, midterm outcomes were assessed via a postal questionnaire with a subjective SCJ stability score, Oxford Shoulder Instability Score (OSIS, adapted for the SCJ), and pain visual analogue scale (VAS), with analysis on an intention-to-treat basis. Results A total of 47 patients (50 SCJs, three bilateral) responded for 75% return rate. Of these, 31 SCJs were treated with physiotherapy and 19 with surgery. Overall, 96% (48/50) achieved a stable SCJ, with 60% (30/50) achieving unrestricted function. In terms of outcomes, 82% (41/50) recorded good-to-excellent OSIS scores (84% (26/31) physiotherapy, 79% (15/19) surgery), and 76% (38/50) reported low pain VAS scores at final follow-up. Complications of the total surgical cohort included a 19% (5/27) revision rate, 11% (3/27) frozen shoulder, and 4% (1/27) scar sensitivity. Conclusion This is the largest midterm series reporting chronic anterior SCJ instability outcomes when managed according to a standardized treatment algorithm that emphasizes the importance of appropriate patient selection for either physiotherapy or surgery, based on a history of trauma. All but two patients achieved a stable SCJ, with stability maintained at a median of 70 months (11 to 116) for the physiotherapy group and 87 months (6 to 144) for the surgery group. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2022;3(10):815–825.
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