Impact of comorbidities on the safety and effectiveness of hip and knee arthroplasty surgery

AIMS

Access to joint replacement is being restricted for patients with comorbidities in a number of high-income countries. However, there is little evidence on the impact of comorbidities on outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine the safety and effectiveness of hip and knee arthroplasty in patients with and without comorbidities.

METHODS

In total, 312,079 hip arthroplasty and 328,753 knee arthroplasty patients were included. A total of 11 common comorbidities were identified in administrative hospital records. Safety risks were measured by assessing length of hospital stay (LOS) and 30-day emergency readmissions and mortality. Effectiveness outcomes were changes in Oxford Hip or Knee Scores (OHS/OKS) (scale from 0 (worst) to 48 (best)) and in health-related quality of life (EQ-5D) (scale from 0 (death) to 1 (full health)) from immediately before, to six months after, surgery. Regression analysis was used to estimate adjusted mean differences (LOS, change in OHS/OKS/EQ-5D) and risk differences (readmissions and mortality).

RESULTS

Patients with comorbidities had a longer LOS and higher readmission and mortality rates than patients without. In hip arthroplasty patients with heart disease, for example, LOS was 1.20 days (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15 to 1.25) longer and readmission rate was 1.52% (95% CI 1.34% to 1.71%) and mortality 0.19% (95% CI 0.15% to 0.23%) higher. Similar patterns were observed for knee arthroplasty patients. Patients without comorbidities reported large improvements in function (mean improvement OHS 21.3 (SD 9.91) and OKS 15.9 (SD 10.0)). Patients with comorbidities reported only slightly smaller improvements. In patients with heart disease, mean improvement in OHS was 0.39 (95% CI 0.27 to 0.51) and in OKS 0.56 (95% CI 0.45 to 0.67) less than in patients without comorbidities. There were no significant differences in EQ-5D improvement.

CONCLUSION

Comorbidities were associated with small increases in adverse safety risks but they have little impact on pain or function in patients undergoing hip or knee arthroplasty. These results do not support restricting access to hip and knee arthroplasty for patients with common comorbidities. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2021;103-B(1):56-64.

Assessing Preoperative Risk Factors With Sex Disparities in Total Joint Arthroplasty Patients and Financial Outcomes From the National Inpatient Sample Database

INTRODUCTION

Disparities in the healthcare system imply potential risks for vulnerable groups whose needs are not appropriately met. Total joint arthroplasty (TJA) is successful in treating end-stage arthritis, resulting in increased demand for the procedure, however remains underused in both sexes, especially in women. Although multiple studies assessed the differences in postoperative morbidities between sexes, there remains a lack in understanding patients' preoperative clinical profile and nonclinical demographics. The aim of this study is to provide a population-based epidemiologic assessment of preoperative risk factors and sex disparities and assess differences in outcomes following TJA.

METHODS

The National Inpatient Sample database from 2006 to 2011 was analyzed. Patients who underwent primary total knee and hip arthroplasty were identified and stratified into two cohorts of male and female, and demographic data and comorbidities were collected. Postoperative complications, length of stay, total charges, and discharge destination were measured for matched cohorts.

RESULTS

Female patients present for TJAs at an older average age, are less likely to present with AIDS, alcohol abuse, coagulopathy, congestive heart failure, drug abuse, liver disease, peripheral vascular disease, and renal failure, and are more likely to present with anemia, autoimmune disorders, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression, obesity, and valvular disease. Postoperatively, the average length of stay for female patients was markedly higher (3.52 versus 3.39) and a lower percentage went home (59% versus 73%). Overall, female patients experience greater odds of any complication while in-patient.

DISCUSSION

This study highlighted sex differences in areas that could account for the underuse of the procedure in both sexes, with women affected to a greater extent. Understanding these factors will help address the unmet needs of both sexes after TJA by encouraging future studies and provider education to ensure that all patients are able to access the necessary procedures for pain relief and functional improvement.

Utilization and Short-Term Outcomes of Primary Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty in the United States and Canada: An Analysis of New York and Ontario Administrative Data

OBJECTIVE

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) are common and effective surgical procedures. This study sought to compare utilization and short-term outcomes of primary TKA and THA in adjacent regions of Canada and the United States.

METHODS

The study was designed as a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent primary TKA or THA, comparing administrative data from New York and Ontario in 2012-2013. Demographic features of the TKA and THA patients, per capita utilization rates, and short-term outcomes were compared between the jurisdictions.

RESULTS

A higher percentage of New York hospitals performed TKA compared to Ontario hospitals (75.7% versus 42.1%; P < 0.001), and the mean annual procedural volume for TKAs was lower in New York hospitals (mean 179 versus 327 in Ontario hospitals; P < 0.001). After direct standardization, utilization was significantly lower in New York compared to Ontario, both for TKA (16.1 TKAs versus 21.4 TKAs per 10,000 population per year; P < 0.001) and for THA (10.5 THAs versus 11.5 THAs per 10,000 population per year; P < 0.001). For those who underwent TKA, the length of stay in Ontario hospitals was significantly longer (mean 3.7 days versus 3.4 days in New York hospitals; P < 0.001). A smaller percentage of New York patients were discharged directly home (46.2% versus 90.9% of Ontario patients; P < 0.001), but 30-day and 90-day readmission rates were higher in New York compared to Ontario (30-day rates, 4.6% versus 3.9% [P < 0.001]; 90-day rates, 8.4% versus 6.7% [P < 0.001]). For the THA cohorts, the results with regard to length of stay, discharge disposition, and readmission rates were similar to those for TKA.

CONCLUSION

Ontario has higher utilization of total joint arthroplasty than New York but has a smaller percentage of hospitals performing these procedures. Patients are more likely to be discharged home and less likely to be readmitted in Ontario. Our results suggest areas where each jurisdiction could improve.

Does knee replacement surgery for osteoarthritis improve survival? The jury is still out

BACKGROUND

The relation of knee replacement (KR) surgery to all-cause mortality has not been well established owing to potential biases in previous studies. Thus, we aimed to examine the relation of KR to mortality risk among patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) focusing on identifying biases that may threaten the validity of prior studies.

METHODS

We included knee OA subjects (ages 50-89 years) from The Health Improvement Network, an electronic medical records database in the UK. Risk of mortality among KR subjects was compared with propensity score-matched non-KR subjects. To explore residual confounding bias, subgroup analyses stratified by age and propensity scores were performed.

RESULTS

Subjects with KR had 28% lower risk of mortality than non-KR subjects (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.78). However, when stratified by age, protective effect was noted only in older age groups (>63 years) but not in younger subjects (≤63 years). Further, the mortality rate among KR subjects decreased as candidacy (propensity score) for KR increased among subjects with KR, but no such consistent trend was noted among non-KR subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

While a protective effect of KR on mortality cannot be ruled out, findings of lower mortality among older KR subjects and those with higher propensity scores suggest that prognosis-based selection for KR may lead to intractable confounding by indication; hence, the protective effect of KR on all-cause mortality may be overestimated.

Primary care physicians' perceptions about and confidence in deciding which patients to refer for total joint arthroplasty of the hip and knee

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of primary care physicians (PCPs) regarding indications, contraindications, risks and benefits of total joint arthroplasty (TJA) and their confidence in selecting patients for referral for TJA.

DESIGN

PCPs recruited from among those providing care to participants in an established community cohort with hip or knee osteoarthritis (OA). Self-completed questionnaires were used to collect demographic and practice characteristics and perceptions about TJA. Confidence in referring appropriate patients for TJA was measured on a scale from 1 to 10; respondents scoring in the lowest tertile were considered to have 'low confidence'. Descriptive analyses were conducted and multiple logistic regression was used to determine key predictors of low confidence.

RESULTS

212 PCPs participated (58% response rate) (65% aged 50+ years, 45% female, 77% >15 years of practice). Perceptions about TJA were highly variable but on average, PCPs perceived that a typical surgical candidate would have moderate pain and disability, identified few absolute contraindications to TJA, and overestimated both the effectiveness and risks of TJA. On average, PCPs indicated moderate confidence in deciding who to refer. Independent predictors of low confidence were female physicians (OR = 2.18, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06-4.46) and reporting a 'lack of clarity about surgical indications' (OR = 3.54, 95% CI: 1.87-6.66).

CONCLUSIONS

Variability in perceptions and lack of clarity about surgical indications underscore the need for decision support tools to inform PCP - patient decision making regarding referral for TJA.

Return to work after knee replacement: a qualitative study of patient experiences

OBJECTIVE

An increasing number of patients in the working population are undergoing total knee replacement (TKR) for end-stage osteoarthritis. The timing and success of return to work is becoming increasingly important for this group of patients with social and economic implications for patients, employers and society. There is limited understanding of the patient variables that determine the ability to return to work. Our objective was (from the patient's perspective) to gain an insight into the factors influencing return to work following knee replacement.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

This qualitative study was undertaken in a secondary-care setting in a large teaching hospital in the north of England. Semistructured interviews were carried out with 10 patients regarding their experiences of returning to work following TKR.

OUTCOMES

Interviews were transcribed and analysed using a qualitative thematic approach to identify the factors influencing return to work from the patient's perspective.

RESULTS

Three themes were identified that influenced the process of return to work, from the patient's perspective. These were delays in surgical intervention, limited and often inconsistent advice from healthcare professionals regarding return to work, and finally the absence of rehabilitation to optimise patient's recovery and facilitate return to work.

CONCLUSIONS

There is currently no consistent process to optimise return to work for patients of working age after TKR. The impact of delayed surgical intervention, limited advice regarding return to work, and a lack of work-focused rehabilitation, all contribute to potential delays in successful return to work. There is a need to change the focus of healthcare provision for this cohort of patients, and provide a tailored healthcare intervention to optimise patient outcomes.

Being a surgeon--the myth and the reality: a meta-synthesis of surgeons' perspectives about factors affecting their practice and well-being

OBJECTIVES

Synthesize the findings from individual qualitative studies about surgeons' account of their practice.

BACKGROUND

Social and contextual factors of practice influence doctors' well-being and therapeutic relationships. Little is known about surgery, but it is generally assumed that surgeons are not affected by them.

METHODS

We searched international publications (2000-2012) to identify relevant qualitative research exploring how surgeons talk about their practice. Meta-ethnography (a systematic analysis of qualitative literature that compensates for the potential lack of generalizability of the primary studies and provides new insight by their conjoint interpretation) was used to identify key themes and synthesize them.

RESULTS

We identified 51 articles (>1000 surgeons) from different specialties and countries. Two main themes emerged. (i) The patient-surgeon relationship, described surgeons' characterizations of their relationships with patients. We identified factors influencing surgical decision making, communication, and personal involvement in the process of care; these were surgeon-related, patient-related, and contextual. (ii) Group relations and culture described perceived issues related to surgical culture (image and education, teamwork, rules, and guidelines); it highlighted the influence of a social dimension on surgical practice. In both themes, we uncovered an emotional dimension of surgeons' practice.

CONCLUSIONS

Surgeons' emphasis on technical aspects, individuality, and performance seems to impede a modern patient-centered approach to care and to act as a barrier to well-being. Our findings suggest that taking into account the relational and emotional dimensions of surgical practice (both with patients and within the institution) might improve surgical innovation, surgeons' well-being, and the attractiveness of this specialty.

Propensity score matching and randomization

OBJECTIVES

We used elective total joint replacement (TJR) as a case study to demonstrate selection bias toward offering this procedure to younger and healthier patients.

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING

Longitudinal data from 2,202 men were integrated with hospital data and mortality records. Study participants were followed from recruitment (1996-1999) until TJR, death, or 2007 (end of follow-up). A propensity score (PS) was constructed to quantify each subject's likelihood of undergoing TJR. TJR recipients were later matched to their non-TJR counterparts by PS and year of hospitalization. Ten-year mortality from index admission was compared between cases and controls.

RESULTS

Overall, 819 (37.2%) had TJR. Those were younger, healthier, and belonged to higher socioeconomic classes compared with those who were not proposed for surgery. Of the TJR recipients, 718 were matched to 1,109 controls. Cases and controls had similar characteristics and similar years of follow-up from recruitment till index admission. Nonetheless, controls were more likely to die (39.5%) compared with 14.5% in TJR cases (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Selection for elective procedures may introduce bias in prognostic features not accounted for by PS matching. Caution must be exercised when long-term outcomes are compared between surgical and nonsurgical groups in a population at risk for that surgical procedure.

Community reintegration following a total joint replacement: a pilot study

PURPOSE

To examine community reintegration following a hip or knee total joint replacement (TJR) from the perspective of rehabilitation clients.

METHODS

A phenomenological frame of reference guided the present study. Ten participants who received inpatient rehabilitation completed semi-structured qualitative interviews to explore their experiences with reintegrating back into their chosen communities and the meanings that they ascribed to their reintegration. Interview data were analysed using thematic analysis. Demographic data, and information regarding participants' living situation and supports were extracted from existing databases and used to characterize the sample.

RESULTS

Participants revealed that reintegration after a TJR encompassed two key elements of meaning: i) engagement in meaningful activities; and ii) satisfaction levels. Additionally, the following five factors were identified as facilitators or barriers to community reintegration following a TJR: i) ongoing preparation and education; ii) confounding health issues; iii) driving and transportation; iv) personal facilitators; v) access to supports from professionals, family and friends, and community programmes.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study highlights the significance of engaging in meaningful activities and being satisfied in one's level of engagement to achieving a sense of community reintegration following a TJR. This suggests that reintegration post-TJR has broader meanings than just improvements in functional abilities. Practitioners are encouraged to inquire about patients' meaningful activities, support their preparedness throughout the rehabilitation process, to identify confounding health issues that may limit reintegration, consider patients' fears and anxieties and establish supports to enhance their feelings of self-efficacy and abilities to cope following a TJR.

Motivation, justification, normalization: talk strategies used by Canadian medical tourists regarding their choices to go abroad for hip and knee surgeries

Contributing to health geography scholarship on the topic, the objective of this paper is to reveal Canadian medical tourists' perspectives regarding their choices to seek knee replacement or hip replacement or resurfacing (KRHRR) at medical tourism facilities abroad rather than domestically. We address this objective by examining the 'talk strategies' used by these patients in discussing their choices and the ways in which such talk is co-constructed by others. Fourteen interviews were conducted with Canadians aged 42-77 who had gone abroad for KRHRR. Three types of talk strategies emerged through thematic analysis of their narratives: motivation, justification, and normalization talk. Motivation talk referenced participants' desires to maintain or resume physical activity, employment, and participation in daily life. Justification talk emerged when participants described how limitations in the domestic system drove them abroad. Finally, being a medical tourist was talked about as being normal on several bases. Among other findings, the use of these three talk strategies in patients' narratives surrounding medical tourism for KRHRR offers new insight into the language-health-place interconnection. Specifically, they reveal the complex ways in which medical tourists use talk strategies to assert the soundness of their choice to shift the site of their own medical care on a global scale while also anticipating, if not even guarding against, criticism of what ultimately is their own patient mobility. These talk strategies provide valuable insight into why international patients are opting to engage in the spatially explicit practice of medical tourism and who and what are informing their choices.

Timing of arthroplasty, what is the influence of nocturnal pain and pain at rest on the outcome?

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether nocturnal pain and pain at rest preoperatively influence the satisfaction in patients after joint arthroplasty. The second research question is whether subjective outcome (VAS/WOMAC) after hip (THA) or knee arthroplasty (TKA) differs in patients with or without nocturnal pain and pain at rest preoperatively compared to those who do not.

METHODS

A consecutive group of 189 TKAs and 189 THAs was evaluated. The influence of pain at rest and nocturnal pain preoperatively on the outcome was evaluated by means of a one-way ANOVA. Outcome measurements used were WOMAC, VAS pain and VAS Satisfaction.

RESULTS

The results show that satisfaction at follow up was not influenced by the presence of nocturnal pain or pain at rest preoperatively. The presence of nocturnal pain and pain at rest preoperatively did result in a poorer WOMAC pain score WOMAC physical impairment score and a higher VAS pain at rest and activity after surgery for both THA and TKA.

CONCLUSION

The results show that the presence of pain at night and pain at rest in symptomatic osteoarthritic patients results in worse VAS and WOMAC scores, but with similar amounts of satisfaction at follow up.

GP referral of patients with osteoarthritis for consideration of total joint replacement: a longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Individuals with hip or knee osteoarthritis (OA) are referred to orthopaedic surgeons if considered by their GP as potential candidates for total joint replacement (TJR). It is not clear which patients end up having this surgery.

AIM

The aim of the study was to investigate symptom variation in individuals with OA newly referred by GPs to an orthopaedic surgeon for consideration for TJR, and to determine the predictors of having this procedure.

DESIGN AND SETTING

A longitudinal study of patients at a regional orthopaedic centre with follow-up at 3, 6, and 12 months by postal questionnaire.

METHOD

GP referrals of patients with OA to orthopaedic surgeons were consecutively sampled. Of the 431 eligible patients, 257 (59.6%) were recruited. Validated measurement tools were used to measure pain, physical functioning, severity of OA, and health-related quality of life.

RESULTS

Over half the participants were in constant pain, taking pain medication more than once per day. Only 67 of 134 (50%) hip and 40 of 123 (33%) knee patients had a TJR within 12 months. Those who had a replacement had been diagnosed with OAfora shorter time, reported more frequent pain, were more likely to use a walking stick, and had worse pain, stiffness, and physical functioning.

CONCLUSION

Many individuals considered for TJR ultimately may not have surgery, and more effective strategies of management need to be developed between primary and secondary care to achieve better outcomes and to improve quality of care.

Factors associated with rapid progression to knee arthroplasty: complete analysis of three-year data from the osteoarthritis initiative

OBJECTIVES

Only a few studies have identified prognostic factors indicating risk of future knee arthroplasty in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. The Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) is a National Institutes of Health and privately funded cohort study of 4796 persons with or at high risk of knee OA. The OAI is ideally suited to a more extensive study of knee arthroplasty prognostic factors than has been undertaken. The purpose of our study was to identify patient factors which predict rapid progression to knee arthroplasty, defined as arthroplasty within three years of baseline data collection.

METHODS

We used alternating logistic regression models to analyze complete three year follow-up data from the OAI on 4670 persons with, or at risk for knee OA, aged 45 to 79 years during the years 2004 to 2008.

RESULTS

A total of 128 knees (116 persons) underwent knee arthroplasty during the study period. After adjusting for known prognostic factors, several previously unidentified predictors of future knee arthroplasty were found including past history of knee surgery (RR=2.04, 95% CI=1.33, 3.13), knee flexion contracture in degrees (RR=1.06, 95% CI=1.02, 1.11) and pain, on a 0 to 10 scale, with active knee flexion (RR=1.58, 95% CI=1.04, 2.39).

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS

This study identifies new and easily measured clinical variables that are associated with more rapid progression to arthroplasty. The data may help to inform both physicians and patients of medical history and clinical examination findings most highly associated with short-term arthroplasty.

Patient gender affects the referral and recommendation for total joint arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

Rates of use of total joint arthroplasty among appropriate and willing candidates are lower in women than in men. A number of factors may explain this gender disparity, including patients' preferences for surgery, gender bias influencing physicians' clinical decision-making, and the patient-physician interaction.

QUESTIONS/PURPOSES

We propose a framework of how patient gender affects the patient and physician decision-making process of referral and recommendation for total joint arthroplasty and consider potential interventions to close the gender gap in total joint arthroplasty utilization.

METHODS

The process involved in the referral and recommendation for total joint arthroplasty involves eight discrete steps. A systematic review is used to describe the influence of patient gender and related clinical and nonclinical factors at each step. WHERE ARE WE NOW?: Patient gender plays an important role in the process of referral and recommendation for total joint arthroplasty. Female gender primarily affects Steps 3 through 8, suggesting barriers unique to women exist in the patient-physician interaction. WHERE DO WE NEED TO GO?: Developing and evaluating interventions that improve the quality of the patient-physician interaction should be the focus of future research. HOW DO WE GET THERE?: Potential interventions include using decision support tools that facilitate shared decision-making between patients and their physicians and promoting cultural competency and shared decision-making skills programs as a core component of medical education. Increasing physicians' acceptance and awareness of the unconscious biases that may be influencing their clinical decision-making may require additional skills programs.