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Postoperative pain monitor after total knee replacement

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MUSCULOSKELETAL SURGERY Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Aim of this work was to study the postoperative pain within the first week of a total knee replacement by comparing three different forms of administration of analgesia. We proposed to verify the correspondence between a subjective pain assessment made by the patient on a Visual Analogic Scale (VAS) and an objective assessment made by assaying the serum algogenic cytokines interleukin-1 (IL1), interleukin-6 (IL6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Statistical analysis of the data on the VAS and the three cytokine assays done preoperatively and on the third and seventh days postoperatively showed that while the VAS declined progressively postoperatively, IL6 tended to be higher on the third postoperative day and then lower on the seventh. The other two cytokines showed no differences preoperatively and postoperatively. On the basis of our results, we support the validity of IL6 dosage to monitor the postoperative pain during future studies.

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Conflict of interest

All authors disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Methodology and Surgical Techniques, Orthopedics Section, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Bari, Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy

    Angela Notarnicola, Lorenzo Moretti & Biagio Moretti

  2. Hygiene Section, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Bari, Bari, Italy

    Silvio Tafuri & Angelo Vacca

  3. Department of Anesthesiology, General Hospital, Bari, Italy

    Gioacchino Marella

  4. President of Course of Motor and Sports Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Bari, Bari, Italy

    Biagio Moretti

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  1. Angela Notarnicola
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  2. Lorenzo Moretti
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  3. Silvio Tafuri
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  4. Angelo Vacca
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  5. Gioacchino Marella
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  6. Biagio Moretti
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Correspondence to Angela Notarnicola.

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Notarnicola, A., Moretti, L., Tafuri, S. et al. Postoperative pain monitor after total knee replacement. Musculoskelet Surg 95, 19–24 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12306-011-0102-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12306-011-0102-2

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