DOES SEVERE ACUTE POSTOPERATIVE PAIN RESULT IN MORE LONG-TERM PAIN AFTER TOTAL HIP OR KNEE ARTHROPLASTY (THA OR TKA) FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS?

Background: Chronic pain is a frequently reported unfavourable outcome of total hip and knee arthroplasties (THA/TKA) (7-23% and 10-34%, respectively) in osteoarthritis (OA) patients (1), which is difficult to treat as underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Acute postoperative pain has been identified as risk factor for development of long-term pain in other surgical procedures, such as mastectomy and thoracotomy (2). However, the effect of acute postoperative pain on development of long-term pain in THA and TKA patients is unknown. Objectives: To investigate if acute pain following THA/TKA in OA patients is associated with long-term pain and if acute pain affects the course of pain up to 1-year postoperatively. Methods: From a longitudinal multicenter study, OA patients scheduled for primary THA or TKA were included. Acute pain scores, using Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), were routinely collected as part of standard care (≤72 hours after surgery). In case of ≥2 NRS scores the two highest scores were averaged (n=160), else the single score was taken. Pain was dichotomized into severe (NRS≥5) and mild (NRS Results: 81 THA and 87 TKA patients were included, of whom 32.1% and 56.3% reported severe acute pain. The results did not show an associated between severe acute pain and long term pain (THA: β=2.0, 95%-CI:-10.9-7.0; TKA: β=3.8, 95%-CI:-10.6-2.9). Furthermore, It seems that there is no effect present of difference in severity of acute pain and the course of pain over time (THA 6-months: β=6.4, 95%-CI:1.9-10.9 and 12-months: β=0.2, 95%-CI:-4.4-4.8; TKA 12-months: β=3.2, 95%-CI:-0.5-6.8). Conclusion: We did not find an association between acute pain and the development of long-term pain nor that severity of acute pain affects the course of postoperative pain in THA and TKA patients. The fact that THA and TKA patients often experience chronic preoperative pain might be a possible explanation for this finding. Nonetheless, future studies including additional measures of acute pain and pain sensitization in patients with chronic preoperative pain are necessary to draw stronger conclusions. References: [1]Beswick AD, Wylde V, Gooberman-Hill R, Blom A, Dieppe P. What proportion of patients report long-term pain after total hip or knee replacement for osteoarthritis? A systematic review of prospective studies in unselected patients. BMJ open. 2012;2(1):e000435. [2]Katz J, Seltzer Ze. Transition from acute to chronic postsurgical pain: risk factors and protective factors. Expert review of neurotherapeutics. 2009;9(5):723-44. Acknowledgments: We would like to thank the study group that consists of: B.L. Kaptein, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden; S.B.W Vehmeijer, Reinier de Graaf Hospital, Delft; R. Onstenk, Groene Hart Hospital, Gouda; S.H.M. Verdegaal, Alrijne Hospital, Leiderdorp; H.H. Kaptijn, LangeLand Hospital, Zoetermeer; W.C.M. Marijnissen, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, Dordrecht; P.J. Damen, Waterland Hospital, Hoorn; the Netherlands Disclosure of Interests: None declared