SynthesisMedicine2018
A meta-analysis of dexamethasone for pain management in patients with total knee arthroplasty.
Synthesis in Medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy and safety of dexamethasone in postoperative recovery following hysterectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of intravenous dexamethasone on postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty.Langenbeck's archives of surgery · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis on how different dexamethasone administration regimes impact total joint arthroplasty outcomes.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- The role of perioperative intravenous low-dose dexamethasone in rapid recovery after total knee arthroplasty: a meta-analysis.The Journal of international medical research · 2021Pooled it
- Peri-operative steroids reduce pain, inflammatory response and hospitalisation length following knee arthroplasty without increased risk of acute complications: a meta-analysis.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2021Pooled it
- The effect of a split-dose intravenous dexamethasone and a single high-dose on postoperative blood glucose after total joint arthroplasty: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2024Trial
- Perioperative Intravenous Dexamethasone Significantly Reduces Postoperative Opioid Requirement and Nausea After Unilateral Elective Hip Arthroscopy: A Randomized Double-blinded Placebo-controlled Trial.The American journal of sports medicine · 2024Trial
- Local Efficacy of Corticosteroids as an Adjuvant for Periarticular Cocktail Injection in Simultaneous Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Prospective Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial.Pain research & management · 2021Trial
- Dorsal penile block of bupivacaine with adjuvant dexmedetomidine and dexamethasone can safely improve immediate post-operative analgesia and decrease opioid consumption after inflatable penile prosthesis surgery.International journal of impotence research · 2026Article
- Impact of Dexamethasone on Blood Glucose After Total Knee Arthroplasty in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.Orthopaedic surgery · 2025Article
- Comparison of analgesic effects between betamethasone and dexamethasone in total knee arthroplasty: a prospective randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Periarticular Versus Intravenous Corticosteroids in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.The archives of bone and joint surgery · 2025Review
- Dexamethasone Is Associated With a Statistically Significant Increase in Postoperative Blood Glucose Levels Following Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty.Arthroplasty today · 2023Article
- A 20 mg dose of dexamethasone does not reduce the proportion of joint replacement patients needing rescue analgesia: a matched cohort study.Annals of joint · 2023Article
- Comparison of Dexamethasone 4mg vs 8mg Doses in Total Joint Arthroplasty Patients: A Retrospective Analysis.Cureus · 2020Article
- Nanoparticle-based model of anti-inflammatory drug releasing LbL coatings for uncemented prosthesis aseptic loosening prevention.International journal of nanomedicine · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPain management after a total-knee arthroplasty (TKA) has become an important issue in the field of medicine. This study conducted a meta-analysis from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the efficacy and safety of dexamethasone for pain management after TKA.
methodsPubMed, Medline, Embase, ScienceDirect, and the Cochrane Library were searched up to December 2017 for comparative RCTs involving dexamethasone and placebo for pain control after TKA. Primary outcomes were postoperative pain scores and opioid consumption. Secondary outcomes were length of hospital stay, adverse effects, and postoperative complications. We assessed statistical heterogeneity for each RCT with the use of a standard Chi-squared test and the I statistic. All data were carried out with Stata 14.0 software.
resultsA total of 6 RCTs were included. The present meta-analysis indicated that there were significant differences between dexamethasone-treated groups and placebo groups regarding postoperative pain scores at 12, 24, and 48 hours after TKA. Administering dexamethasone could significantly reduce opioid consumption at 12 hours after TKA. However, no significant difference was found in opioid consumption at 24 and 48 hours after TKA. There was a decreased risk of adverse effects in dexamethasone groups.
conclusionUse of dexamethasone could result in a significant reduction in postoperative pain while minimizing adverse effects after TKA. Based on the current evidence available, more RCTs are needed for further investigation.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.