Comparison of simultaneous bilateral and staged bilateral total knee arthroplasty in terms of perioperative complications.

We compared bilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) performed at a single session vs those performed at 2 separate sessions with respect to complications, amount of blood loss, and length of hospital stay. Study participants included 119 consecutive patients undergoing simultaneous bilateral TKA and an additional 119 patients undergoing staged bilateral TKA. Systemic complication in the simultaneous bilateral TKA was significantly higher statistically than that in the staged bilateral TKA. Therefore, performing simultaneous bilateral TKA in elderly or high-risk patients results in a significantly higher rate of systemic complications. Simultaneous bilateral TKA is a relatively safe and beneficial procedure with a minimal increase in the risk of systemic complications. However, this procedure should be conducted carefully, particularly in elderly and high-risk patients. 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.