To discuss the effect of dexamethasone in preventing fat embol ism syndrome (FES) in cemented hi p arthroplasty patients. Methods Forty patients scheduled for unilateral cemented hi p arthroplasty between January 2008 and December 2009 were randomly divided into trial group (n=20) and control group (n=20). In trial group, there were 6 males and 14 females with an average age of 73.2 years (range, 54-95 years), including 4 cases of osteoarthritis, 3 cases ofavascular necrosis of femoral head, and 13 cases of femoral neck fracture; the disease duration was 4 days to 6 years (median, 0.8 year). In control group, there were 10 males and 10 females with an average age of 71.9 years (range, 59-91 years), including 2 cases of osteoarthritis, 3 cases of avascular necrosis of femoral head, and 15 cases of femoral neck fracture; the disease duration was 3 days to 5 years (median, 0.6 year). There was no significant difference in gender, age, or disease duration (P gt; 0.05) between 2 groups. Cemented total or bipolar hip arthroplasty (with the same brand of cement and prosthesis) in 2 groups were performed by a group of surgeons. The patients were given intravenously injected with dexamethasone (20 mg) in trial group before 1 hour of cement injection and intravenously injected with normal sal ine (2 mL) in control group. Amount of 5 mL vein blood were withdrawn before surgery, after 4, 8, and 24 hours of cement injection to test the number and average diameter of fat droplets. According to Gurd diagnosis standard, related FES symptoms and signs were inspected. Results Primary heal ing of incision was achieved in all cases of 2 groups. According to Gurd standard of diagnosis, no FES occurred in each group at 2 weeks postoperatively; deep venous thrombosis occurred in 2 cases (10%) of trial group and in 5 cases (25%) of control group, showing significant difference (P lt; 0.05). The number and diameter of fat droplets in trial group were significantly lower than those in control group at 4, 8, and 24 hours of cement injection (P lt; 0.01). All cases were followed up 7.4 months on average (range, 3-13 months). The postoperative Harris score was 89.5 ± 6.1 in trial group and 87.9 ± 8.3 in control group, showing no significant difference (P gt; 0.05). No loosening occurred during follow-up period. Conclusion Intravenous injection withdexamethasone can effectively reduce the number and diameter of venous fat droplets in cemented hip arthroplasty, which can decrease the risk of postoperative FES.
Objective To explore the cause of haematoma after the cemented total hip arthroplasty (THA) and find out the way to decrease the incidence of haematoma perioperatively. Methods From March 2000 to October 2006, 103 patientswere treated with the cemented THA. Among the patients, 44 were males and 59 were females with their ages ranging from 36 to 89 years, averaged 55.3 years.The femoral neck fracture (Garden 4) was found in 49 patients, avascular necrosis of the femoral head (Ficat 4) in 26, and osteoarthritis of the hip joint (Tonnis 3) in 28. Their illness course ranged from 1 day to 8 years. The average Harris score preoperatively was 36 (range, 1948). The patients were divided into Group A (n=43) and Group B (n=60). The patients in Group A underwent the conventional surgical operations from March 2000 to December 2003; the patients in Group Bunderwent the same surgical procedures combined with additional procedures (e.g., ligation of the external rotators before incision, use of plastic bandage after the drainage tube was pulled out, prolonged stay period in bed postoperatively) from January 2004 to October 2006. Results In Group A, postoperative haematoma occurred in 9 patients and the averaged 317.8±75.3 ml(range,110-410 ml) of the accumulated blood was drained with a syringe. An average amount for the firstdrainage of the accumulated blood was 86.7±30.7 ml(range, 50-125 ml)， and an average drainage time was 4.2(range, 2-7). In Group B, postoperative haematoma occurred in 2 patients, with an amount of 110 ml and 160 ml of the accumulated blood and an amount of 40 ml and 60 ml of the drained blood at thefirst drainage. There was statistical difference in the amount of heamotoma between two groups(P＜0.05). The followup of 91 patients (39 in Group A, 52 in Group B) for 1.2-5.5 years (average, 3.7 years) revealed that the Harris scores were 78 in Group A and 85 in Group B on average.The Harris score for pain was 44 (Grade A) in 16 patients, 40 (Grade B) in 24 patients, and 30 (Grade C) in 3 patients in Group A; Grade A in 48 patients,Grade B in 12 patients, and Grade C in none of the patients in Group B. There was no statistical difference in Harris score between the two groups (P＞0.05). Conclusion Additional surgical procedures for the cemented THA, such as ligation of the external rotators before incision, use of plastic bandage afterthe drainage tube is pulled out, and prolonged stay in bed postoperatively, can greatly help to reduce the incidence of postoperative haematoma and the amount of the accumulated blood.