Does perioperative oral rofecoxib therapy improve functional recovery after knee replacement surgery?
Mohit Bhandari Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Division of Orthopaedic Surgery McMaster University Hamilton, Ont. Buvanendran A, Kroin JS, Tuman KJ, Lubenow TR, Elmofty D, Moric M, et al. Effects of perioperative administration of a selective cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitor on pain management and recovery of function after knee replacement: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2003;290:2411-8. Background: Managing pain after total knee replacement is important for clinical outcome. While NSAIDs can decrease the inflammatory response associated with surgery, their use has been limited by concerns of bleeding in the early postoperative period. Selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors have little or no effect on coagulation and have been approved for the treatment of acute postoperative pain. However, their efficacy on outcomes other than pain has not been well reported. Design: This randomized controlled blinded trial involved consecutive patients undergoing elective
