VASO (Vitamin D and Arthroplasty Surgery Outcomes) study - supplementation of vitamin D deficiency to improve outcomes after total hip or knee replacement: study protocol for a randomised controlled feasibility trial.

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc.

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to poor outcomes after total hip replacement (THR) or total knee replacement (TKR), including lower patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), peri-prosthetic infection and longer hospital stay.

The researchers present a randomised feasibility trial protocol designed to prospectively investigate the influence of vitamin D testing, and subsequent supplementation for deficiency, prior to THR/TKR.

Who Took Part

One hundred adult patients undergoing primary THR/TKR for osteoarthritis at two NHS hospital trusts in North East England will be recruited.

Exclusion criteria include lack of mental capacity, revision surgery, participants already taking vitamin D/calcium supplements, or a known contraindication to vitamin D treatment.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Vitamin D levels will be rechecked on the day of surgery and again at 6 months.

Patients will also complete a lifestyle questionnaire, as well as the Oxford hip or knee and EQ-5D-3 L PROM questionnaires, at baseline and at 6 months following surgery.

What Was Measured

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to poor outcomes after total hip replacement (THR) or total knee replacement (TKR), including lower patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), peri-prosthetic infection and longer hospital stay.

The researchers present a randomised feasibility trial protocol designed to prospectively investigate the influence of vitamin D testing, and subsequent supplementation for deficiency, prior to THR/TKR.

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip, Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee, Cholecalciferol, Clinical Protocols, Dietary Supplements, England and Feasibility Studies.

Author keywords: Deficiency, PROMs, TKR and Vitamin D.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 2 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2017 (Trials), a journal based in England.

More context: the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc compound page, all human trials.