Peri-Articular-Multimodal Drug and Oral Celecoxib in Management of Postoperative Pain of Total Knee Arthroplasty

Overview

This study is a randomized-clinical-trial on 146 patients candidate for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) who were randomly allocated to three treatment groups, including 1) a cocktail consisting of bupivacaine, morphine, epinephrine, and ketorolac (n=48), 2) only epinephrine (placebo group) (n=49), and 3) 400mg celecoxib orally (control group) (n=49) using Random Allocation software. The injections and oral therapy were performed within 15 minutes before the surgical procedure. The study's primary outcome was the Knee Society Score (KSS) calculated at baseline, within six weeks and six months postoperatively. Range of motion (ROM) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) to assess pain intensity as the other primary outcomes were evaluated before the procedure, within 24 hours, 48 hours, and six weeks postoperatively.

This randomized clinical trial conducted on 146 patients undergone TKA in orthopedic hospitals affiliated at Isfahan University of Medical Science (IUMS) in 2021. The presence of osteoarthritis, making the patients candidate for primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and body mass index of 20-30 kg/m2 were determined as inclusion criteria. The Regional Bioethics Committee of IUMS approved the study protocol. This study was designed as a census study; therefore, all the patients who met the criteria for participation in this study were recruited. Participants were randomly divided into three groups using Random Allocation software, so each patient was provided with a specific number from 1-to-146 by the software and allocated to one of the groups. The investigator who performed the baseline and follow-up assessments and the patients were unaware of the study group; as the investigator was absent at the time of the surgery and all the patients administered a pill prior to the surgical procedure (one group was treated with celecoxib and the other two ones administered placebo similar in shape and color with celecoxib). The primary outcome was the Knee Society Score (KSS) calculated at baseline, within six weeks and six months postoperatively. Range of motion (ROM) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) to assess pain intensity as the other primary outcomes were evaluated before the procedure, within 24 hours, 48 hours, and six weeks postoperatively.