While there is emerging literature describing the use of narcotics for post-operative pain control following TKA, little data is available regarding narcotic use in partial knee replacements. The aim of this study is to compare the early post-operative narcotic requirements after medial compartmental arthroplasty (UKA) and patellofemoral arthroplasty (PFA) with that of TKA.
In this retrospective chart review, we identified 37 patients who underwent PFA and 71 patients who underwent UKA. We identified a cohort of TKA patients who were matched to the unicompartmental group based on sex and age (n = 108). The primary outcome measure was self-reported use of opioids for pain management at the first post-operative clinic visit. Opioid use between groups was compared using Chi-square analysis.
The PFA group was younger (p < 0.001) and consisted of more females (p < 0.001) than the UKA group. The UKA cohort had more non-smoking patients (p = 0.044) compared to the PFA cohort. Self-reported opioid use at the first post-operative visit differed between the three groups of patients (p < 0.001). A greater proportion of both PFA (38% vs. 11%; p < 0.001) and TKA (41% vs. 11%; p = 0.01) patients reported opioid use when compared to UKA patients. No differences in opioid use existed between TKA and PFA groups (p = 0.61).
The prevalence of PFA patients who report opioid use at the first post-operative visit is similar to that for patients following TKA, suggesting that pain management protocols for this specific subset of partial knee arthroplasty patients should be structured similar to TKA patients and separate from UKA patients.