Outcomes and follow-up
postoperative pain, swelling, pain, VTE, nausea,, nerve damage
ADVERSE REACTIONS, CHRONIC PAIN, COMPLICATIONS, POSTOPERATIVE INFECTION
The primary outcomes included the time to the first rescue analgesia, morphine consumption, and pain score. During motion (knee flexion of 45°) and at rest, postoperative pain was scored on a VAS scale (0–10, 0 represents no pain, whereas 10 represents the most pain) [Secondary outcomes included inflammatory biomarkers (interleukin [IL]-6 and C-reactive protein [CRP]) and recovery of knee function as determined by quadriceps strength, daily mobilization distance, ROM, and time to first straight-leg raising. Fasting blood samples were collected on the morning of postoperative days 1, 2, and 3 to determine CRP and IL-6 levels. A protractor was used to measure ROM three times a day, 6 h apart, and the optimal value was used as the value for that day. Quadriceps strength was determined by asking the patient to flex the knees and hips, and was evaluated on a scale of 0–5, with 0 representing the worst strength and 5 representing the most optimal strength. For the daily distance of mobilization, patients needed to walk as far as possible in a single attempt, and the distance acquired was recorded. The postoperative length of stay was also recorded.Tertiary outcomes included adverse reactions, such as wound complications, nausea, vomiting, chronic pain, nerve damage, postoperative infection, VTE, a significant decrease in quadriceps strength, and falls after surgery. Additionally, the knee swelling ratios were compared between the groups. Based on previous research, the swelling ratio was determined as the average postoperative circumference of the inferior and superior patellar poles divided by the preoperative value [To evaluate the aforementioned clinical results, we encouraged all patients to remove their sutures at 3 weeks postoperatively and to return to the hospital for a 3-month follow-up.