• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.527-533
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• 2020

Purpose: This study compared the effects of a buprenorphine transdermal patch (BTDP) on the chest and knee for pain control after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Materials and Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted from August 2018 to August 2019 on 231 patients who underwent TKA. Two hundred cases were selected considering age, sex, and body mass index. Before and after applying the BTDP, the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), adverse effects and compliance were measured. All measurements in the chest application group (group A=100) and knee application group (group B=100) were compared. Results: NRS was similar in rest between the groups treated with BTDP, but at two days and three days afternoon, five, six, and seven days postoperatively in group B, the NRS was significantly lower than that of group A. The adverse effects of the central nervous system and gastrointestinal system after applying BTDP were significantly lower in group B than in group A. No significant differences in adverse effects of the cardiovascular system and skin were observed between the two groups. Regarding the maintenance of BTDP, group B was significantly higher than group A. Conclusion: The direct application of BTDP after TKA to painful knee joints showed excellent results in early postoperative pain control and can be a useful method for increasing patient compliance by reducing the frequency of adverse effects.