Total joint arthroplasty can result in significant blood loss. Minimizing blood loss has led to multiple blood conservation strategies in orthopaedic procedures. The use of unipolar electrocautery or the saline-coupled bipolar sealer are methods used to reduce intraoperative bleeding. Saline-coupled bipolar sealer technology initially demonstrated promising results in the literature when it was reported that this technology had superior efficacy by reducing blood loss and transfusion requirements in orthopaedic surgery. However, the saline-coupled bipolar sealer technology comes at a significantly higher cost when compared to the unipolar electrocautery. A bipolar electrode costs an additional $450.00 per case, whereas, the unipolar electrocautery catheter is included in all the pre-packaged orthopedic surgical trays. The added cost of the saline-coupled bipolar sealer was offset by the potential savings in the reduced need for blood transfusions. A single blood transfusion is estimated to be $750-$1200. This cost includes both the direct cost of the blood and the additional nursing time needed. Recent publications have challenged the superiority of the saline-coupled bipolar sealer in hemostasis. These randomized clinical trials (RCT) have not supported superiority of this method when compared to standard unipolar electrocautery and the continued use of the saline-coupled bipolar sealer has been questioned. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the saline-coupled bipolar sealer compared to the unipolar electrocautery provides superior hemostasis in patients undergoing primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty. This will be a prospective, randomized, single-blinded, non-inferiority study in patients scheduled for a primary unilateral TKA with Dr. Eugene Krauss or Dr. Ayal Segal. The restriction of this study to two surgeons will limit variations in the outcomes being measured due to differences in surgical technique.
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the saline-coupled bipolar sealer compared to the unipolar electrocautery provides superior hemostasis in patients undergoing primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty. This will be a prospective, randomized, single-blinded, non-inferiority study in patients scheduled for a primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with Dr. Eugene Krauss or Dr. Ayal Segal. The restriction of this study to two surgeons will limit variations in the outcomes being measured due to differences in surgical technique.