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Leflunomide increases the risk of early healing complications in patients with rheumatoid arthritis undergoing elective orthopedic surgery

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Abstract

The aim of this object is to study whether treatment with biological or leflunomide increases the risk of wound-healing complications after elective orthopedic surgery. Between March 2002 and September 2003, 201 patients participated in this study with the following inclusion criteria: (a) Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or psoriatic arthritis (psA), (b) therapy with: MTX, leflunomide, etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab, anakinra, (c) undergoing elective orthopedic surgery. The incidence of early postoperative wound-healing complications was compared among the different groups. In comparison with patients who received MTX therapy (n = 59), the risk of postoperative wound-healing complications in patients undergoing leflunomide therapy (n = 32) was significantly higher: 13.6% in the MTX group, 40.6% in the leflunomide group (P = 0.01). It is recommended that leflunomide medication for patients with RA undergoing elective orthopedic surgical procedure is interrupted preoperatively to reduce the risk of early wound-healing complications or infections.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedics, Rheumaklinik Bad Bramstedt, Oskar-Alexander-Str. 26, 24576, Bad Bramstedt, Germany

    Martin Fuerst, Henrike Möhl, Kerstin Baumgärtel & Wolfgang Rüther

  2. Orthopedic Department, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany

    Martin Fuerst, Henrike Möhl, Kerstin Baumgärtel & Wolfgang Rüther

Authors
  1. Martin Fuerst
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  2. Henrike Möhl
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  3. Kerstin Baumgärtel
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  4. Wolfgang Rüther
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Correspondence to Martin Fuerst.

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Fuerst, M., Möhl, H., Baumgärtel, K. et al. Leflunomide increases the risk of early healing complications in patients with rheumatoid arthritis undergoing elective orthopedic surgery. Rheumatol Int 26, 1138–1142 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-006-0138-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-006-0138-z

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