Background and Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effects of
tourniquet use and the complications of
total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in patients without comorbidities to investigate whether
tourniquet application can be employed without adverse effects and to assess its impact on the occurrence of any complications. Materials and Methods: A total of 106 patients who underwent unilateral TKA were divided randomly into two groups according to whether a
tourniquet was used during the surgery or not. Patients with comorbidities (except arterial
hypertension) were excluded from the study.
Knee Injury and
Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, joint range of motion, visual analog scale (VAS) score, total blood loss during and after surgery, postoperative
analgesic consumption, and side effects were the main factors evaluated in the study. Results: In the
tourniquet group, where the VAS scores were higher, the use of
analgesics was also significantly higher. While there was no statistically significant difference in total blood loss between the
tourniquet and non-
tourniquet groups, the postoperative and occult blood losses were higher in the
tourniquet group. The differences between the two groups in all other parameters were very small and not statistically significant. Conclusions: The findings of the current study suggest that when the comorbidities of patients are thoroughly documented and clarified prior to surgery,
tourniquets should be applied selectively to individuals without any pre-existing health conditions.