Data from: Analysis of early postoperative pain in the first and second knee in staged bilateral total knee arthroplasty: a retrospective controlled study

Objective: A retrospective analysis of early postoperative pain in the
first and second knee in staged bilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) to
provide a clinical evidence for the change of analgesic strategy. Methods:
From January 2009 to January 2013, 87 cases which meet the inclusion
criterion were retrospectively reviewed. In stage TKA, the postoperative
pain in the first and second knee at 24h, 48h, 72h after operation were
compared using the visual analogue scale (VAS) score in the rest and
maximum knee flexion position. The difference in pain scores (ΔVAS) was
also compared between the second and first knee at different time
intervals (less than 6 months, 6-12 months, more than 12 months). Results:
The VAS scores in the second knee were significantly higher than those in
the first knee at 24h, 48h after surgery, but with no difference at 72h.
The ΔVAS in the group of less than 6 months was significantly higher than
of those more than 6 months, and there was no difference in ΔVAS between
group of 6-12 months and group of more than 12 months. Conclusions:
Patient receiving staged bilateral TKA experiences greater postoperative
pain within 48h after operation in the second knee than in the first knee,
which can provide a clinical evidence to enhance the analgesic strategy in
the second operation of the staged bilateral TKA. And for the management
of postoperative pain in staged bilateral TKA, it’s better to recommend
that the interval between two operations should be more than 6 months,
which may reduce the postoperative pain in the second knee, improve
patient satisfaction, and speed up patient‘s rehabilitation process.