Effect of intraoperative cold solution irrigation to reduce postoperative pain in knee osteoarthritis patients who underwent unilateral primary total knee arthroplasty: a double-blinded randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: To compare the postoperative pain score, opioid consumption, and blood loss in knee osteoarthritis patients who underwent unilateral primary total knee arthroplasty with and without intraoperative cold solution irrigation.

METHOD: In total, 70 knee osteoarthritis patients were randomly included in the study and allocated into 2 groups. The first group was irrigated intraoperatively with a cold solution and the second group was irrigated intraoperatively with a room-temperature solution.

RESULTS

The cold solution group showed significantly lower pain scores (numerical rating scale, NRS) at 28 h postoperatively (p = 0.047). There were no significant differences in opioid consumption or blood loss between the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Intraoperative cold solution irrigation in unilateral primary total knee arthroplasty patients may provide the benefit of early postoperative pain reduction for up to 28 h but has no effect in terms of reducing opioid consumption or blood loss.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered in the Thai Clinical Trials Registry (TCTR) Trial registration number ID: TCTR20200706001 on 06/07/2020.