Arthroscopically assisted ACL reconstruction. Is a drain necessary?

We report on the results of a prospective randomised controlled trial to evaluate the use of an intra-articular drain following arthroscopically assisted ACL reconstruction using patellar tendon autograft. Forty-nine patients were recruited for the trial and randomised into receiving or not receivin...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The knee 2003-09, Vol.10 (3), p.283-285
Main Authors: Straw, Robert, Colclough, Karen, Geutjens, Guido G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ACL reconstruction
Adolescent
Adult
Anterior Cruciate Ligament - physiopathology
Anterior Cruciate Ligament - surgery
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries
Arthroplasty - adverse effects
Arthroscopy - adverse effects
Drain
Drainage - adverse effects
Edema - etiology
Edema - physiopathology
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Knee Joint - physiopathology
Knee Joint - surgery
Male
Middle Aged
Pain Measurement
Pain, Postoperative - etiology
Pain, Postoperative - physiopathology
Prospective Studies
Range of Motion, Articular - physiology
Recovery of Function - physiology
Tendons - physiopathology
Tendons - transplantation
Time Factors
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We report on the results of a prospective randomised controlled trial to evaluate the use of an intra-articular drain following arthroscopically assisted ACL reconstruction using patellar tendon autograft. Forty-nine patients were recruited for the trial and randomised into receiving or not receiving a drain following surgery. An independent observer who was blinded for the use of the drain assessed the knees for swelling, range of movement (ROM) and pain at 2, 4 and 6 weeks postoperatively. Muscle strength was assessed at 12 weeks following surgery using the KIN COM III isometric dynamometer. We found that the knees that were drained following surgery initially had less swelling and a better ROM. However, at 4 weeks this difference had disappeared. At 3 and 6 months, there was no functional difference between the two groups. We recommend that no drain be used following ACL reconstruction as removal of the drain is uncomfortable and carries theoretical and avoidable risks.
ISSN:0968-0160
1873-5800
DOI:10.1016/S0968-0160(02)00150-3