Total joint arthroplasty procedures increase patients' likelihood of infections and other complications, according to a study conducted by four orthopedic surgeons at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor.
The article was published in International Orthopedics. Here are 10 things to know:
1. The surgeons set out to determine morbidity and mortality rates after total knee or hip arthroplasty, analyze statistics related to postoperative infection rates and ultimately compare complications across all types of TJA.
2. Using the University of Michigan Health System's database, they compiled a list of all TKA and THA procedures that were performed from 2000 to 2012 in patients who had successfully received a solid organ transplant previously.
3. The researchers found that 44 arthroplasties had been performed in 29 SOT recipients whose average age was 54.8 years old.
4. No recipients died in between the operation and follow-up.
5. However, 48 percent of THA patients and 33.3 percent of TKA experienced a total of 29 complications up to 90 days after their surgeries.
6. One THA patient and two TKA patients developed infections that required revision surgery.
7. The type of transplant didn't seem to impact the complication rate, but infection was more common after a TKA procedure.
8. The researchers concluded that SOT recipients displayed higher rates of infections and other types of complications after undergoing total joint arthroplasty.
9. The study's findings prompted the researches to caution surgeons and their medical teams to adjust accordingly when preparing for TJA surgery and reduce any chances of complications that may arise during any phase of surgery.
10. Andrew C. Palmisano, MD, Andrew W. Kuhn, Andrew G. Urquhart, MD, and Aidin Eslam Pour, MD, were all involved with the University of Michigan Medical School's department of orthopedic surgery at the time of the study.
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