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Older Age Increases Short-term Surgical Complications After Primary Knee Arthroplasty

  • Clinical Research
  • Published:
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research®

Abstract

Background

Age is a known risk factor for complications after knee arthroplasty; however, age-related risks for a variety of complications of total and partial knee arthroplasties have not been well quantified.

Questions/purposes

Our study addressed three questions to better understand age-related risk of complications: (1) At what age do different types of complications increase? (2) Is the increase in complications with age resulting from age-related patient comorbidities, sociodemographic characteristics, and surgical conditions? (3) What is the probability of complications at different ages for an average patient?

Methods

The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) database from 2005 to 2009 was used to analyze complications for 8950 patients. Complications included NSQIP events, and complications described by the 2003 National Institutes of Health (NIH) consensus statement on total knee arthroplasty as well as 30-day mortality, deep vein thrombosis, return to the operating room, extended length of stay, and technical aspects of the surgery itself. Logistic regression analysis was performed.

Results

Mortality was higher for those aged 85 and older. NSQIP complications increased starting at age 70 years and NIH complications at 85 years. Age remained an independent risk factor for multiple complications with controls. The predicted risk for an average patient ranged from 4% (40–64 years old) to 17% (90 years or older) for NSQIP complications and 2.8% to 8.8% for NIH complications.

Conclusions

Age is an important independent predictor of surgical complications after knee arthroplasties. Surgeons can share these quantified age-specific risks with patients to guide management decisions.

Level of Evidence

Level I, prognostic study. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, University of California, San Diego, 200 West Arbor Drive #8400, San Diego, CA, 92103-8400, USA

    Molly C. Easterlin BA, Mark Talamini MD & David C. Chang PhD, MPH, MBA

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA

    Douglas G. Chang MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Molly C. Easterlin BA
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  2. Douglas G. Chang MD, PhD
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  3. Mark Talamini MD
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  4. David C. Chang PhD, MPH, MBA
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Molly C. Easterlin BA.

Additional information

One of the authors (MCE) has received funding from the Medical Student Training in Aging Research Program at the University of California, San Diego. Each author certifies that he or she, or a member of his or her immediate family, has no commercial associations (eg, consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article.

All ICMJE Conflict of Interest Forms for authors and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research editors and board members are on file with the publication and can be viewed on request.

Each author certifies that his or her institution approved or waived approval for the reporting of this investigation and that all investigations were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research.

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Easterlin, M.C., Chang, D.G., Talamini, M. et al. Older Age Increases Short-term Surgical Complications After Primary Knee Arthroplasty. Clin Orthop Relat Res 471, 2611–2620 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-013-2985-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-013-2985-8

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