Hands-free dressing for primary total knee arthroplasty: a retrospective cohort analysis

Abstract

The postoperative wound management of elective total knee arthroplasty (TKA) poses challenges of allowing rehabilitation with knee movement as well as maintenance of a barrier dressing. The authors undertook a retrospective analysis of wound dressings in 103 primary TKA undertaken in our specialist center over 3 years. The authors went through a chronological change in dressing technique with the purpose of avoidance of dressing change unless necessary. In the initial period, 26 dressings were undertaken with Primapore (Smith & Nephew, Memphis, TN, traditional group). Subsequently, 77 dressings were undertaken with gauze and Tegaderm (3M, Pune, India) transparent films (modified group) and divided into two chronological subgroups: A and B. The authors analyzed parameters such as the rate of change of dressings, amount of soakage, blisters, surgical site infections, and loss of adhesiveness between the two groups. The modified group allowed full postoperative rehabilitation with knee flexion and required significantly less changing with fewer complications. Avoidance of the traditional wound check by our hands-free method has a progressive learning curve and is a viable technique to decrease wound related complications.