Search of literature
Our review team completed the search of electronic databases, including the Cochrane
Central Register of Controlled Trials (2010), PubMed Medline (1966 to May 2011), and
Embase (1980 to May 2011). We used the following search terms and Boolean operators:
(drain OR drainage) AND (knee OR arthroplasty OR joint replacement). We also searched
the reference lists of the relevant articles for any further associated studies. The criteria for
inclusion in our study were: 1) reports dealing with patients undergoing primary TKA, 2)
studies about postoperative drainage. After reviewing the titles and abstracts of the studies,
we then determined if the study was appropriate for retrieval. These retrieved articles were
reviewed by our review team. A consensus about the content of this review article was
reached through out series of discussion