title: Blood loss after total hip replacement: a prospective randomized study between wound compression and drainage.
abstract: A randomized, controlled study compared the effects of wound compression with drainage after primary total hip arthroplasty. In 51 patients, an inflatable cuff was placed over the wound underneath a girdle (System Calmed, Calmed AB, Askim, Sweden). Control patients had wound drainage (n = 54). Preoperative and intraoperative variables did not differ between groups. Total blood loss was calculated using hemoglobin balance; with compression it was 1510 +/- 656 mL (mean +/- SD) and in controls 1695 +/- 712 mL (P = .13). However, less blood was transfused in the compression group (P = .05). Wound infection was seen in 2 patients with compression and in 3 controls. Deep venous thrombosis occurred in 3 controls. Wound discharge was more frequent in controls (19/54 vs 8/51; P = .04). Thus, wound compression had no obvious negative effects and reduced wound discharge and need for transfusion. It may replace drainage after total hip arthroplasty.
authors.affiliation: Division of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Department of Neuroscience and Locomotion, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Linköping, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Engquist
authors.forename: Lars-Göran
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Pettersson
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lisander
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip; D001458:Bandages; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical / Q000517:prevention & control; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004322:Drainage / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011312:Pressure; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome