Purpose The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the overall safety and effectiveness of perioperative intravenous dexamethasone to facilitate postoperative rehabilitation in patients after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods A comprehensive literature search was performed using the Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from inception to 2020. Methodological quality of the trials was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool, and the relevant data were extracted using a predefined data extraction form. Results Ten RCTs with 1100 knees were included. Our study showed a significant reduction in pain using a postoperative pain visual analog scale (VAS) at 24 hours and 48 hours, total opioid consumption at 24 hours and 48 hours, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), active range of motion (ROM) limitation, and passive ROM limitation at 72 hours in dexamethasone-treated groups compared with controls. Conclusion Intravenous low-dose dexamethasone is potentially useful in the perioperative setting for reducing postsurgical immediate ROM limitations, pain, opioid consumption, and PONV. There are no data that directly attribute an increase in postoperative complications to intravenous dexamethasone. More high-quality studies are necessary to draw these conclusions.
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