EFFECTS OF COLD AND COMPRESSION DRESSINGS ON EARLY POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES FOR THE ARTHROSCOPIC ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT RECONSTRUCTION PATIENT

Efforts to minimize the morbidity of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction include the use of cryotherapy and/or compressive dress ings in the immediate postoperative period. We undertook the present s tudy to determine if the alleged benefits of the Cryo/Cuff; which comb ines these modalities, are more attributable to its compressive effect rather than cold application. Seventy-eight patients admitted for pri mary endoscopic ACI reconstruction using a bone-patella tendon-bone au tograft were randomized to receive Cryo/Cuff compressive dressings pos toperatively. Forty subjects (Group I) had the cuff applied with conti nuous circulating ice water using the Autochill device, while 38 other s (Group 2) received the cuff with room temperature water. Cases were performed as inpatients and all subjects were administered intravenous morphine postoperatively via a patient-controlled infusion pump for t he first 24 postoperative hours. At baseline, the groups were well mat ched in age, sex, duration of symptoms, operative time, and associated meniscal surgery. No significant difference between groups was detect ed with respect to length of hospitalization, Hemovac knee drainage, o ral and intravenous narcotic requirement, or subjective pain as measur ed by a visual analog scale. No apparent complications related to the use of the Cryo/Cuff dressings were noted. The clinical effect of the Cryo/Cuff in this study was not influenced by the use of continuous ic e water vs. room temperature water. Further study should focus on vari ations in compression to evaluate the clinical impact of this device.