Blood loss in computer-assisted mobile bearing total knee arthroplasty. A comparison of computer-assisted surgery with a conventional technique

Computer-assisted surgery (CAS) in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) could be useful in reducing the overall blood loss. A prospective randomised study was performed with two groups of 50 patients each of whom were treated for knee arthritis. Patients of group A were treated by a conventional standard procedure, while for patients of group B a specific CAS procedure was used. We determined the intraoperative blood loss according to the Orthopaedic Surgery Transfusion Haemoglobin European Overview (OSTHEO) study. The average blood loss in patients of group A was 1,974 ml (range: 450–3,930 ml) compared to 1,677 ml of patients of group B (range: 500–2,634 ml). A statistically significant difference was found between the two groups (p = 0.0283). Computer-assisted surgery is highly recommended in TKR to save blood. It creates more possibilities to operate on anaemic patients and subjects who cannot accept blood products by reducing blood loss risk.