Total knee arthroplasty in hemophilia: lessons learned and projections of what's next for hemophilic knee joint health

Tranexamic acid is safe with respect to the risk of deep venous thrombosis in patients with hemophilic arthritis undergoing total knee arthroplasty without chemoprophylaxis: A prospective study

BACKGROUND

Pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis is controversial for hemophiliacs who undergo total joint replacements. The purpose of this study was to assess the safety of tranexamic acid (TXA) utilization with respect to the incidence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in hemophiliacs undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

METHODS

A total of 104 patients with hemophilic arthritis were included in the study. The patients were randomly divided into two groups of 52 subjects. All patients received a modified coagulation factor substitution regimen. In the TXA group, 1 g of TXA was injected intravenously 15 min before incision and 2 g of TXA was intra-articularly injected in the surgical area. A routine mechanical prophylaxis was administered to all patients under a standardized postoperative protocol. Thromboembolic complications in both groups were followed up for 2 years.

RESULTS

All patients were male and underwent 146 arthroplasties. There was a mean age of 33.2 ± 8.8 years and a mean body mass index of 22.2 ± 5.1 kg/m2. A 100% compliance rate was observed with mechanical prophylaxis. No asymptomatic DVT was detected on postoperative ultrasound in all patients. We also failed to find any proof of clinical venous thromboembolism in our patients during a 2-year follow up. Only two cases in the TXA group underwent blood transfusions (4.0%), while 29.2% of the patients in the non-TXA group needed transfusion.

CONCLUSIONS

This prospective study showed that TXA could be safely utilized in patients with hemophilic arthritis who underwent TKA without increasing the incidence of DVT and routine chemoprophylaxis may not be necessary.

Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Hemophilia: an EHA-ISTH-EAHAD-ESO Clinical Practice Guidance

Cardiovascular disease is an emerging medical issue in patients with hemophilia (PWH) and its prevalence is increasing up to 15% in PWH in the United States. Atrial fibrillation, acute and chronic coronary syndromes, venous thromboembolism, and cerebral thrombosis are frequent thrombotic or prothrombotic situations, which require a careful approach to fine-tune the delicate balance between thrombosis and hemostasis in PWH when using both procoagulant and anticoagulant treatments. Generally, PWH could be considered as being naturally anticoagulated when clotting factors are <20 IU/dL, but specific recommendations in patients with very low levels according to the different clinical situations are lacking and mainly based on the anecdotal series. For PWH with baseline clotting factor levels >20 IU/dL in need for any form of antithrombotic therapy, usually treatment without additional clotting factor prophylaxis could be used, but careful monitoring for bleeding is recommended. For antiplatelet treatment, this threshold could be lower with single-antiplatelet agent, but again factor level should be at least 20 IU/dL for dual antiplatelet treatment. In this complex growing scenario, the European Hematology Association in collaboration with the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, the European Association for Hemophilia and Allied Disorders, the European Stroke Organization, and a representative of the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Thrombosis has produced this current guidance document to provide clinical practice recommendations for health care providers who care for PWH.

Complications and Implant Survival of Total Knee Arthroplasty in People with Hemophilia

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a commonly used option in advanced stages of knee arthropathy in people with hemophilia (PWH). The objective of this article is to determine what the complication rates and implant survival rates in PWH are in the literature. A literature search was carried out in PubMed (MEDLINE), Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase and Google Scholar utilizing the keywords "hemophilia TKA complications" on 20 October 2022. It was found that the rate of complications after TKA in PWH is high (range 7% to 30%), although it has improved during the last two decades, possibly due to better perioperative hematologic treatment. However, prosthetic survival at 10 years has not changed substantially, being in the last 30 years approximately 80% to 90% taking as endpoint the revision for any reason. Survival at 20 years taking as endpoint the revision for any reason is 60%. It is possible that with a precise perioperative control of hemostasis in PWH, the percentage of complications after TKA can be diminished.

Past, present and future of orthopedic surgery in hemophilia: looking to a world without bleeding and arthropathy in the near future

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this article is to review the literature on orthopedic surgery in people with hemophilia (PWH), to better understand its past and present and attempt to predict the future.

AREAS COVERED

A Cochrane Library and PubMed (MEDLINE) search of studies related to orthopedic surgery in PWH was analyzed. A downward trend in orthopedic surgery in PWH has been observed. Patients on continuous prophylaxis are less likely to require orthopedic surgery. In patients with hemophilia, the risk of major bleeding remains high after total joint arthroplasty, even with factor replacement. Cases of acute compartment syndrome, pseudotumors and even limb amputations are still observed in PWH.

EXPERT OPINION

Orthopedic surgery for PWH should always be performed in specialized centers with multidisciplinary expertise in the correct management of hemophilia. It is paramount to perform an accurate preoperative coagulation screening before surgery. The availability of prophylaxis through replacement and the recent non-replacement therapy in the well-developed countries will diminish substantially or hopefully abolish completely the need for surgery in the treatment of PWH. Therefore, we are looking to a world without bleeding and arthropathy in the next future. Unfortunately, this is not true for the under-development countries.