Bilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in a one-stage surgical procedure has the advantage of a single hospital stay, shorter rehabilitation, and reduced patient management costs. However, until now the use of this strategy has been limited by the fear of a higher rate of perioperative complications. The hypothesis of this study was that in selected patients, this management strategy would not result in any serious complications.

This prospective 24-month pilot study was performed in a continuous series of patients without a control group. Inclusion criteria were bilateral non-infectious gonarthropathy, in patients classified as American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) 1 or 2 and presenting with a preoperative hemoglobin level of at least 13g/dL. All patients underwent a pre- and postoperative evaluation using the International Knee Society (IKS) and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Score (KOOS) scores.

Thirty patients were included in the study (25 women, mean age 70.3years old [32 to 88years]; five ASA 1 and 25 ASA 2). All patients were followed-up and evaluated for a mean 18months (6 to 30months). Three deep vein thromboses, one cardiopulmonary accident and three confusional states were reported, but there were no perioperative deaths, pulmonary embolisms, nosocomial infections or revision procedures. At 18months follow-up the IKS score had improved from 98 (33–139) preoperatively to 169 (62–200) postoperatively. The five items of the KOOS score improved significantly.

This preliminary series confirms that bilateral total knee replacement in a one-stage surgical procedure is a reliable alternative to a two-stage procedure in ASA 1 and 2 patients. Because of the savings in health costs with this strategy, public healthcare authorities should provide support by creating and sponsoring a specific group for further study.

4, prospective, no control group.