Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32361928›Full record

Trial reportKnee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA2021

Adding corticosteroids to periarticular infiltration analgesia improves the short-term analgesic effects after total knee arthroplasty: a prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial.

Qiuru Wang, Gang Tan, Alqwbani Mohammed, Yueyang Zhang, Donghai Li, Liyile Chen, Pengde Kang

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
25citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
5.3field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

25 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 47 citations in OpenAlex.

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  15. Expert consensus on glucocorticoids injection for knee osteoarthritis.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Qiuru Wang *Department of Orthopaedics Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, 37# Wainan Guoxue Road, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
Gang Tan *Department of Orthopaedics Surgery, West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, 18# Section 3, Renmin South Road, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China.
Alqwbani MohammedDepartment of Orthopaedics Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, 37# Wainan Guoxue Road, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
Yueyang ZhangSchool of Public Health, Shandong University, 44# Wenhua West Road, Jinan, 250012, People's Republic of China.
Donghai LiDepartment of Orthopaedics Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, 37# Wainan Guoxue Road, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
Liyile ChenDepartment of Orthopaedics Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, 37# Wainan Guoxue Road, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
Pengde KangDepartment of Orthopaedics Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, 37# Wainan Guoxue Road, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China. kangpengd@163.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7042-6731
Sichuan University · CNShandong University · CN

Funding

Department of Science and Technology of Sichuan Province 2019YFS0123.
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposePeriarticular infiltration analgesia (PIA) is widely used to control postoperative pain in patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of adding corticosteroids to the PIA cocktail for pain management in patients who underwent TKA.

methodsThe patients were randomized to the corticosteroid or control group (double-blind). The patients in the corticosteroid group received a periarticular infiltration of an analgesic cocktail of ropivacaine, epinephrine, and dexamethasone. Dexamethasone was omitted from the cocktail in the control group. The primary outcomes were postoperative pain [assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS)], time until the administration of first rescue analgesia, morphine consumption, and postoperative inflammatory biomarkers [C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6)]. The secondary outcomes were functional recovery, assessed by the range of knee motion, quadriceps strength, and daily ambulation distance. The tertiary outcomes included postoperative adverse effects.

resultsThe patients in the corticosteroid group had significantly lower resting VAS scores at 6 and 12 h after surgery, lower VAS scores during motion up to 24 h after surgery, and lower levels of inflammatory biomarkers. All the differences in the VAS scores between the two groups did not reach the point to be considered clinically significant. The additional use of corticosteroid significantly prolonged analgesic effects and led to lower rescue morphine consumption. The patients in the corticosteroid group had significantly better functional recovery on the first day after surgery. The two groups had a similar occurrence of adverse effects.

conclusionsAdding corticosteroids to an analgesic cocktail for PIA could lightly improve early pain relief and accelerate recovery in the first 24 h after TKA. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Randomized controlled trial, Level I.

Indexed as

AgedAnalgesicsArthroplasty, Replacement, KneeDexamethasoneDouble-Blind MethodEpinephrineFemaleGlucocorticoidsHumansInjections, Intra-ArticularKnee JointMaleMiddle AgedMorphinePain ManagementPain MeasurementAnalgesicsDexamethasoneEpinephrineGlucocorticoidsMorphineRopivacaineAnalgesiaCorticosteroidsPainPeriarticular infiltrationTotal knee arthroplasty

Identifiers

PMID32361928
OpenAlexW3021293304

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.