Tourniquet used in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a system review.
OBJECTIVE
To identify whether routine use of a tourniquet is a better choice for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.


METHODS
We searched Amed, British Nursing Index, Embase, Pubmed, Scopus, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar. We used revised Jadad score to evaluate the trial quality. Each reference list was viewed for any ignored studies. Two reviews independently extracted data from all eligible trials, including study design, patients' characteristics, interventions and outcomes. The available data were using random effects models with mean differences for continuous variables.


RESULTS
The only meta-analysis indicated there was no significant difference in operative time between the tourniquet and non-tourniquet groups (mean differences -5.71, 95 % CI -12.40, 0.99). The remaining outcomes had variations in the outcome measures, so it was not possible to perform meta-analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
There was insufficient evidence to support the hypothesis that patients would benefit from routinely applying a tourniquet. More high-quality randomized controlled trials were needed to test the result.
Department of Orthopaedics, Tianjin Medical University, General Hospital, 154 Anshan Road, Heping District, Tianjin, 300052, People's Republic of China.
Hong
H
Wu
Ling-Xiao
LX
Chen
Yu-Lin
YL
Li
Qiang
Q
Wu
Qiu-Li
QL
Wu
Guang-Zhi
GZ
Ning
Shi-Qing
SQ
Feng
D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage; D059549:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D053580:Muscle Strength; D061646:Operative Time; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D052097:Quadriceps Muscle / Q000503:physiopathology; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013848:Thigh / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D014111:Tourniquets / Q000009:adverse effects
D000701:Analgesics, Opioid