A new study published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery examines the cause of death following total knee and hip replacements in patients with osteoarthritis.
The study authors compiled data from the National Joint Registry for England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Hospital Episode Statistics; and Office for National Statistics. The study included 332,734 patients who underwent total hip replacement and 384,291 patients who underwent total knee replacement. There were 26,776 total hip replacement and 29,802 total knee replacement patients who died before the censoring date.
Here are five key points from the study:
1. The main cause of death in total hip and knee replacement patients was neoplasms, which occurred in 33.8 percent of the hip replacement and 33.3 percent of the knee replacement patients who died after surgery.
2. Circulatory system disorders were responsible for 32.8 percent of the hip replacement deaths and 33.3 percent of the knee replacement deaths. The main cause of death in 10.9 percent of the hip replacement patients and 9.8 percent of the knee replacement deaths was respiratory system disorders.
3. Digestive system diseases were the main cause of death in 5.5 percent of the hip replacement and 5.3 percent of the knee replacement patients who died after surgery.
4. Within the first 90 days after surgery, ischemic heart disease was the most common cause of death, occurring in 29 percent of the hip replacement patients and 31 percent of the knee replacement patients who died postoperatively.
5. Patients reported a higher risk of death due to circulatory, respirator and digestive system related issues within the first 90 days after surgery when compared with 91 days to one year after surgery.
"Interventions targeted at reducing these diseases may have the largest effect on mortality in total joint replacement patients," concluded the study authors.