Abstract
Summary Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a fairly common procedure in the United States. Blood loss in the perioperative period is inevitable. Postoperative hematomas and hemarthrosis can develop when bleeding occurs into the knee joint postoperatively, thereby increasing pain and swelling and hindering recovery (Rosenberg, 2007). To minimize the loss of blood intraoperatively, conventional electrocautery is routinely used. However, an alternative approach in preventing blood loss intraoperatively involves the use of a bipolar sealer device designed to seal rather than cauterize blood vessels. Because the bipolar sealer operates at a cooler temperature than the traditional electrocautery method, researchers propose that the bipolar sealer is less traumatizing to tissue and minimizes blood loss in the perioperative period. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of the bipolar sealer when compared to the standard electrocautery device in terms of minimizing blood loss and preserving the patient's hemoglobin. A reduced need to transfuse blood could minimize patient risk related to blood transfusion and ultimately reduce hospital length of stay. The research study offers a retrospective collection of demographic, clinical, and outcome data from patients who underwent TKA either with standard electrocautery or bipolar sealer. However, major study design flaws and limitations in this investigation overshadowed the findings which failed to demonstrate a benefit in using the bipolar sealer over the standard electrocautery method. BS
Published Version
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