ISAKOS: 2019 Congress in Cancun, Mexico
ISAKOS

2019 ISAKOS Biennial Congress ePoster #932

 

Early Functional Rehabilitation and Hospital Discharge in Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty with Conventional Jig-Based Technique versus Robotic-Arm Assistance: A Prospective Cohort Study

Babar Kayani, BSc (HONS), MBBS, MRCS (Eng), London UNITED KINGDOM
Sujith Konan, MD(Res), MBBS, MRCS, FRCS(Tr&Orth), London UNITED KINGDOM
Jenni Tahmassebi, BSc, London UNITED KINGDOM
Fares S. Haddad, MCh(Orth), BSc, FRCS(Orth), London UNITED KINGDOM
Fares S. Haddad, MCh(Orth), BSc, FRCS(Orth), London UNITED KINGDOM

University College London Hospital, London, UNITED KINGDOM

FDA Status Cleared

Summary

Robotic-arm assisted UKA was associated with decreased postoperative pain, reduced opiate analgesia requirements, improved early functional rehabilitation, and shorter time to hospital discharge compared to conventional jig-based UKA.

Abstract

Objective

The objectives of this study were to compare postoperative pain, analgesia requirements, inpatient functional rehabilitation, time to hospital discharge, and complications in patients undergoing conventional jig-based UKA versus robotic-arm assisted UKA.

Methods

This prospective cohort study included 146 patients with symptomatic medial compartment knee osteoarthritis undergoing primary UKA performed by a single surgeon. This included 73 consecutive patients undergoing conventional jig-based UKA followed by 73 consecutive patients receiving robotic-arm assisted UKA. All surgical procedures were performed using the standard medial parapatellar approach for UKA, and all patients underwent the same postoperative rehabilitation programme. Postoperative pain scores on the numerical rating scale and opiate analgesia consumption were recorded until discharge. Time to attainment of predefined functional rehabilitation outcomes, hospital discharge, and postoperative complications were recorded by independent observers.

Results

Robotic-arm assisted UKA was associated with reduced postoperative pain (P<0.001), decreased opiate analgesia requirements (p<0.001), shorter time to straight leg raise (p<0.001), decreased number of physiotherapy sessions (p<0.001), and increased maximum knee flexion at discharge (p<0.001) compared to conventional jig-based UKA. Mean time to hospital discharge was reduced in robotic UKA compared to conventional UKA (42.5 ± 5.9 hours vs 71.1 ± 14.6 hours respectively, p<0.001). There was no difference in postoperative complications between the two groups during the 30-day follow-up period.

Conclusion

Robotic-arm assisted UKA was associated with decreased postoperative pain, reduced opiate analgesia requirements, improved early functional rehabilitation, and shorter time to hospital discharge compared to conventional jig-based UKA.