Abstract
The use of drains after primary total joint arthroplasty (TJA) has shown little benefit. Few studies have investigated drain usage after revision TJA. The purpose of this study was to determine whether utilizing suction drains is beneficial for patients undergoing revision arthroplasty. We performed a comprehensive literature review utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines from the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. Inclusion criteria of this review were all original articles written in English investigating the efficacy and safety of closed suction drainage in revision TKA or THA, reporting at least one of the following outcome measures: (1) estimated blood loss (EBL), (2) perioperative hemoglobin change, (3) needs for transfusion, (4) postoperative infection, and (5) wound complications. Articles were excluded if they are not available in English or they included case reports, systematic reviews, comments, editorials, surveys, or animal studies prior to July 22, 2023. A total of six studies met inclusion criteria. In total, 655 patients had a drain while 1765 patients did not have a drain after revision total hip or knee arthroplasty. Primary outcomes included for meta-analysis included estimated blood loss (EBL), postoperative hemoglobin, need for transfusion. Other data extracted includes postoperative infections, and wound complications. Six studies met the inclusion criteria. In total, 655 patients had drains, while 1765 patients did not after revision total hip or knee arthroplasty. The average age of the patients was 66.1+/- 3.4 years, and the average BMI was 30.3 +/-0.8. There was no difference in postoperative infections (p = 0.14), wound complications (p = 0.621) or need for transfusion (p = 0.521) between the two groups. There was also no difference in EBL (Hedges' g CI[-3.52, 2.77]) or postoperative Hb (Hedges' g CI[-1.65, 2.41]) between patients with and without drains. Our results do not show any benefit from drain placement after revision total hip or knee arthroplasty. With the increased cost, time and need for drain removal, this is likely an unnecessary intervention. Level III, systematic review and meta-analysis.
Published Version
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