Complication rate and patient satisfaction following simultaneous bilateral total knee replacement

BACKGROUND: Advanced knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common clinical problem requiring knee arthroplasty. X-ray can be used to diagnose knee osteoarthritis. Total knee arthroplasty of the two knees can be done simultaneously or staged in two different sessions. AIM: To assess simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty based on complications and patient satisfaction and compare the results to those in the literature to provide a clear guideline for appropriate choice for patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted in Ain Shams University Hospital in Cairo and Taiba Hospital in Kuwait on 45 cases who suffered from advanced bilateral knee osteoarthritis and underwent simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty between August 2018 and October 2020. RESULTS: The study was conducted on 45 patients aged 47–75 years (mean age: 64.29±6.23 years). There were 41 females (91.1%) and 4 males (8.9%). Pre- and postoperative patient satisfaction was 15.24±2.45 and 32.18±4.08, respectively, with a mean difference of 16.93. Moreover, the pre- and postoperative objective knee score and Knee Society Scoring System, were 58.90±6.28 and 82.62±5.70, respectively. Additionally, the pre- and postoperative functional knee score were 51.39±8.67 and 73.80±7.75, respectively. Four patients (8.9%) had complications: 3 (6.7%) had superficial infection and 1 (2.2%) had acute coronary syndrome. CONCLUSION: Simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty can be safe and have low mortality and complication rates with careful preoperative patient selection.