The long-term impact of preoperative psychological distress on functional outcomes, quality of life, and patient satisfaction after total knee arthroplasty

Functional Outcome Change Over 10 Years After Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty. A Prospective Longitudinal Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

To assess any clinically important difference in functional outcome over 10 years after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

METHODS

A prospective registry-based observational cohort study including 309 patients older than 60 years who underwent primary TKA. Patients were assessed at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 postoperative years with the Knee Society scores (KSS) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Clinically important improvement was defined according to the minimal clinically important difference (MCID). Patients were also categorized as type A (unilateral knee osteoarthritis), type B (bilateral knee osteoarthritis) or type C (various sites of osteoarthritis).

RESULTS

The mean age at the TKA surgery was 69.2 (SD 7.3) years, 197 (63.7%) were women.Maximum postoperative improvements in functional scores occurred at 3 postoperative years, remained relatively stable up to 5-year. There were significant decreases in all KSS and WOMAC scores at 7-year follow-up (P = .001), remained stable up to 10-year. At 10-year, functional scores were significantly higher than preoperatively (P = .001). Differences between maximum scores at 3-year and those at 10-year were significantly lesser than MCID in all scores (P = .001). In multivariate analysis, type-C patient at TKA surgery was the only significant predictor of unsuccessful KSS score and dissatisfaction at 10-year follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Primary TKA provides clinically important improvements in functional and quality of life outcomes over 10-year follow-up compared to preoperatively. Although there were statistically significant declines in KSS and WOMAC scores from 3 to 10 years, the differences were lesser than the MCID.

The Influence of Psychosocial Factors on Disability and Expected Improvement Before Surgery for Adult Traumatic Brachial Plexus Injury

PURPOSE

Psychosocial factors influence pain and recovery after extremity trauma and may be targets for early intervention. This may be of particular interest for patients with adult traumatic brachial plexus injury (BPI), given the broad and devastating impact of the injury. We hypothesized that there would be an association between depressive symptoms, anxiety, and pain interference with preoperative disability and expectations for improvement after BPI surgery.

METHODS

We enrolled 34 patients into a prospective multicenter cohort study for those undergoing surgery for adult traumatic BPI. Before surgery, participants completed Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System scales for pain interference, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, and a validated BPI-specific measure of disability and expected improvement. We performed Pearson correlation analysis between pain interference, anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms with (A) disability and (B) expected improvement. We created separate linear regression models for (A) disability and (B) expected improvement including adjustment for severity of plexus injury, age, sex, and race.

RESULTS

Among 34 patients, there was a moderate, statistically significant, correlation between preoperative depressive symptoms and higher disability. This remained significant in a linear regression model adjusted for severity of plexus injury, age, sex, and race. There was no association between severity of plexus injury and disability. Depressive symptoms also were moderately, but significantly, correlated with higher expected improvement. This remained significant in a linear regression model adjusted for severity of plexus injury, age, sex, and race.

CONCLUSIONS

Depressive symptoms are associated with greater disability and higher expected improvement before BPI surgery. Screening for depressive symptoms can help BPI teams identify patients who would benefit from early referral to mental health specialists and tailor appropriate expectations counseling for functional recovery. We did not find an association between severity of BPI and patient-reported disability, suggesting either that the scale may lack validity or that the sample is biased.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Prognostic II.

Should We Aim to Help Patients "Feel Better" or "Feel Good" After Total Hip Arthroplasty? Determining Factors Affecting the Achievement of the Minimal Clinically Important Difference and Patient Acceptable Symptom State

BACKGROUND

Recent attempts have been made to use preoperative patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) thresholds as prior authorization criteria based on the assumption that patients who have higher baseline scores are less likely to achieve the minimal clinically important difference (MCID). This study aimed to identify factors affecting the achievement of MCID and patient acceptable symptom state (PASS) after total hip arthroplasty (THA), and to determine the overlap between the two outcomes.

METHODS

We identified 3,581 primary, unilateral THAs performed at a single practice in 2015-2019. PROMs including Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for Joint Replacement (HOOS-JR) and 12-item Short Form Health Survey were collected preoperatively and 1-year postoperatively. The likelihood of attaining PASS according to attainment of MCID was assessed. Multivariable regression was used to identify independent predictors of MCID and PASS.

RESULTS

In total, 79.8% achieved MCID and 73.6% achieved PASS for HOOS-JR. Approximately 1 in 7 patients who achieved MCID did not eventually achieve PASS. Worse preoperative HOOS-JR (odd ratio 0.933) was associated with MCID attainment. Better preoperative HOOS-JR (odd ratio 1.015) was associated with PASS attainment. Men, lower body mass index, better American Society of Anesthesiologists score, and better preoperative 12-item Short Form Health Survey mental score were predictors of MCID and PASS. Age, race, ethnicity, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and smoking status were not significant predictors.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative PROMs were associated with achieving MCID and PASS after THA, albeit in opposite directions. Clinicians should strive to help patients "feel better" and "feel good" after surgery. Preoperative PROMs should not solely be used to prioritize access to care.

Does resilience predict hospital length of stay after total knee arthroplasty? A prospective observational cohort study

Background

Resilience, or the ability to bounce back from stress, is a key psychological factor that is associated with ongoing functional independence and higher quality of life in older adults in the context of chronic health conditions. Emerging research has explored resilience and patient-reported outcomes after TKA. Our primary aim was to explore the relationship between resilience and acute hospital length of stay after total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Methods

A prospective observational study recruited 75 participants one month before total knee arthroplasty from two Australian hospitals. Two preoperative psychological measures were used: the Brief Resilience Scale, and for comparison, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). We collected sociodemographic, medical and surgical details, patient-reported pain, function, fatigue and quality of life one month before TKA. Health service data describing acute hospital length of stay, inpatient rehabilitation use, and physiotherapy occasions of service were collected after TKA. Non-parametric analysis was used to determine any differences in length of stay between those with low or high resilience and DASS-21 scores. Secondary regression analysis explored the preoperative factors affecting acute hospital length of stay.

Results

No significant difference was detected in length of stay between those with a low or a high resilience score before TKA. However, the group reporting psychological symptoms as measured by the DASS-21 before TKA had a significantly longer acute hospital length of stay after TKA compared to those with no psychological symptoms [median length of stay 6 (IQR 2.5) days vs. 5 (IQR 2) days, respectively (Mann-Whitney U = 495.5, P=0.03)]. Multivariate regression analysis showed that anesthetic risk score and fatigue were significant predictors of length of stay, with the overall model demonstrating significance (χ2=12.426, df = 4, P=0.014).

Conclusions

No association was detected between the brief resilience score before TKA and acute hospital length of stay after TKA, however, symptoms on the DASS-21 were associated with longer acute hospital length of stay. Preoperative screening for psychological symptoms using the DASS-21 is useful for health services to identify those at higher risk of longer acute hospital length of stay after TKA.

Time for return to sport following total knee arthroplasty: a meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

The frequency of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is increasing, particularly in younger and more active patients. In these patients, there may be greater functional demands, with an expectation to return to sporting activities (RTS) following TKA. There is a paucity of data on the time to RTS following TKA and the aim of this meta-analysis is to determine the time to RTS following TKA.

METHODS

Using the PRISMA guidelines, an electronic search of PUBMED, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library for trails was performed on TKA and RTS in English language, published since the inception of the database to 31st October 2020. Data evaluating the time to RTS and functional outcomes were recorded by two authors independently that were included in the analysis. Pooled analysis using random effect model on overall proportions at the different time intervals and at the end of the follow-up was carried out for all studies.

RESULTS

In total, 1,611 studies were retrieved from literature search. Of these, nine studies met the inclusion criteria with 1,307 patients. Two studies with 148 patients demonstrated an overall pooled proportion of 18.7% (95% CI 8.2-32.3%) of patients RTS at 3 month post-TKA; Three studies reported RTS rate at 6 months 70.% (95% CI 48-88.4). Two studies with 123 patients demonstrated an overall pooled proportion of 84.0% (95% CI 77.1-89.9%) patients RTS at 12 months. 986 patients returned to sport from total of 1307, with an overall adjusted proportion return to sport of 87.9 (95% CI 80.5-93.8%) at the end of follow-up; mean 14 months (range 3-36 months).

CONCLUSION

Patients undergoing TKA were found to successfully RTS, pooled proportion analysis showed an increasing rate of RTS with time, at a mean of 14 months following TKA, where 87.9% of patients had returned to sports. The findings of this study will enable more informed discussions and rehabilitation planning between patients and clinicians on RTS following TKA.

The Paradox of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures: Should We Prioritize "Feeling Better" or "Feeling Good" After Total Knee Arthroplasty?

BACKGROUND

The use of preoperative patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) thresholds for patient selection in arthroplasty care has been questioned recently. This study aimed to identify factors affecting achievement of the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) and patient acceptable symptom state (PASS) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and determine the overlap between the two outcomes.

METHODS

We identified 1,239 primary, unilateral TKAs performed at a single institution in 2015-2019. PROMs including the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for Joint Replacement (KOOS-JR) and 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) were collected preoperatively and 1-year postoperatively. The likelihood of attaining PASS as per attainment of MCID was assessed. A multivariable regression was used to identify predictors of MCID and PASS.

RESULTS

In total, 71.3% achieved MCID and 75.5% achieved PASS for KOOS-JR. Only 7.7% achieved MCID but not PASS, whereas almost twice this number did not achieve MCID but did achieve PASS (11.9%). Poorer preoperative KOOS-JR (OR 0.925), better SF-12 physical (OR 1.025), and mental (OR 1.027) were associated with MCID attainment. In contrast, better preoperative KOOS-JR (OR 1.030) and SF-12 mental (OR 1.025) were associated with PASS attainment. Age, gender, race, ethnicity, body mass index, Charlson index, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, and smoking status were not significant predictors.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative PROMs were associated with achieving MCID and PASS after TKA, albeit some positively and some negatively. In the era of value-based care, clinicians should not only strive to help patients "feel better" but also ensure that patients "feel good" after surgery. This study does not support the use of PROMs in prioritizing access to care.

Patients Obtain Meaningful Clinical Benefit After Hip Arthroscopy Despite Preoperative Psychological Distress: A Propensity-Matched Analysis of Mid-Term Outcomes

PURPOSE

To evaluate the influence of baseline psychological distress on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) after arthroscopic hip surgery for femoroacetabular impingement at a minimum of 5 years.

METHODS

Demographic and intraoperative data were prospectively collected from patients who underwent primary arthroscopic hip surgery for femoroacetabular impingement and labral tears after failure of conservative management between June 2012 and December 2014. Included patients had preoperative and minimum 5-year postoperative PROs and visual analog scale scores for pain and satisfaction. The 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) Mental Component Summary (MCS) score was used to stratify patients into 2 cohorts: Patients with an average or above-average score (SF-12 MCS score ≥ 50) were considered psychologically non-distressed, whereas those who scored below average (SF-12 MCS score < 50) were considered to have psychological distress. Distressed patients were propensity matched by age, sex, and body mass index to an equal number of non-distressed patients.

RESULTS

Of the 153 hips that met the inclusion criteria, 117 (76.5%) had minimum 5-year follow-up. Eighty-two hips were included in the final analysis after propensity matching, with 41 in both the distressed and non-distressed cohorts. Preoperatively, patients in the distressed cohort reported inferior scores for all PROs. There was a significant difference in the SF-12 MCS score between groups at 2 years, but similar scores were observed for all other PROs. At minimum 5-year follow-up, there were no differences between groups for any PRO. There were no differences in the rates of achieving the minimal clinically important difference for all PROs or in achieving the patient acceptable symptomatic state for the modified Harris Hip Score.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with baseline psychological distress may have a lower functional status at the time of presentation but still gain meaningful clinical benefit and pain improvement from arthroscopic hip surgery, with mid-term outcomes comparable to those obtained by patients without preoperative psychological distress.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, retrospective comparative study.

Clinical effects of low-dose esketamine for anaesthesia induction in the elderly: A randomized controlled trial

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE

Esketamine is an N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor antagonist, which has stronger sedative and analgesic effects and fewer adverse events than ketamine. The effects of low-dose esketamine on haemodynamics and postoperative quality of recovery in elderly patients have not been evaluated. To evaluate whether low-dose esketamine can be safely used for anaesthesia induction in the elderly.

METHODS

Eighty elderly patients were selected for unilateral total knee replacement under general anaesthesia from February 2021 to August 2021. Patients were randomly divided into two groups (n = 40): control group (C group) and esketamine group (K group). During induction of anaesthesia, the control group was intravenously injected with normal saline of equal volume, and the esketamine group was intravenously injected with 0.2-mg/kg esketamine. Both groups were induced by etomidate, sufentanil and rocuronium and maintained by combined intravenous and inhaled anaesthesia during operation.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

HR, SBP, DBP, MAP and BIS values were recorded before induction of anaesthesia (T₀ ), immediately before endotracheal intubation (T₁ ), 1min(T₂ ) and 5min(T₃ ) after endotracheal intubation, surgical skin incision (T₄ ), 1min(T₅ ) and 5min(T₆ ) after surgical skin incision.

RESULTS

Compared with the C group, SBP, DBP, MAP, HR and BIS of the K group were significantly higher at T₁ -T₃ (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in SBP, DBP, MAP, HR and BIS between the two groups at T₄ -T₆ (p > 0.05). Compared with T₀ , SBP, MAP and BIS values of the two groups at T₁ -T₆ were decreased (p < 0.05). DBP of the K group at T₂ was not significantly different from DBP at T₀ (p < 0.05), but DBP of the C group decreased from T₁ to T₆ (p < 0.05). Compared with T₀ , HR in both groups decreased at T₁ , T₃ , T₄ , T₅ and T₆ (p < 0.05). Compared with the C group, the incidence of cough in the K group was significantly lower (p < 0.05); There was no significant difference in the number of myoclonus during induction between the two groups (p > 0.05). Compared with the C group, the number of hypotension episodes in the K group during induction was much smaller (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the incidence of hypertension, bradycardia and tachycardia (p > 0.05). There were no significant differences in postoperative recovery quality and incidence of adverse events between the two groups (p > 0.05).

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION

Low-dose esketamine for anaesthesia induction in the elderly undergoing knee arthroplasty may better maintain the stability of haemodynamics and has no adverse effect on the quality of early recovery after operation.

Preoperative Mental Health Influences Patient-Reported Outcome Measures and Satisfaction After Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

A higher prevalence of mental health conditions has been reported in patients undergoing revision total knee arthroplasty (rTKA). This study investigated the effect of preoperative mental health on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and satisfaction after rTKA.

METHODS

A total of 245 patients who underwent rTKA in 2004-2018 were identified from our institutional joint registry. The most common indications were aseptic loosening (n = 111), infection (n = 70), and instability (n = 35). 36-item Short-Form health survey (SF-36) mental component summary (MCS) was used to stratify the cohort into: Low-MCS (SF-36 MCS <50; n = 112) and control (SF-36 MCS ≥50; n = 133) groups. Knee Society score, Oxford knee score, SF-36 physical score, and a satisfaction questionnaire were used to compare the low-MCS and control at 6 months and 2 years.

RESULTS

All PROMs were poorer in the low-MCS group at 6 months and 2 years. However, both groups demonstrated a comparable improvement in each PROM and a similar proportion attained the minimal clinically important difference. Fewer patients in the low-MCS group were satisfied at 2 years (72.2% vs 84.5%, P = .045). Lower preoperative SF-36 MCS was independently associated with increased odds of dissatisfaction (OR 1.037, 95% CI 1.004-1.070, P = .027). Although the change in SF-36 MCS was greater in the low-MCS group, the final value remained lower at 2 years.

CONCLUSION

While patients with poor mental health had inferior PROMs preoperatively and postoperatively, a similar percentage experienced a clinically meaningful improvement at 2 years. Perioperative optimization of psychological factors should still be emphasized as these patients were at a higher risk of dissatisfaction after rTKA.

Does psychological distress influence postoperative satisfaction and outcomes in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty? A prospective cohort study

Background

Preoperative psychological distress may be related to dissatisfaction and poorer outcomes after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, the kind of psychological distress that could influence postoperative satisfaction and outcomes remains controversial. Few studies have examined these issues in Chinese cohorts. Thus, this study aimed to examine (1) the prevalence of preoperative psychological distress in patients undergoing TKA and (2) whether preoperative psychological distress influences patient satisfaction, early postoperative outcomes, and improvement of knee function after TKA.

Methods

We prospectively included 210 patients undergoing unilateral primary TKA between March 2017 and September 2017 at our institution. Preoperatively, patients completed the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales and new Knee Society Scores (KSS) questionnaires. At 3 months and 1 year postoperatively, patients’ KSS and overall satisfaction were assessed. Stepwise multivariate linear regression models were used to assess the variables that influenced changes in each KSS item.

Results

Preoperatively, 89 (42.4%) patients experienced psychological distress. The satisfaction rate and postoperative KSS were not significantly different between patients with or without psychological distress; a higher preoperative score was shown to predict less KSS improvement. Patients with depression had fewer symptom score changes.

Conclusions

The prevalence of preoperative psychological distress was relatively high; thus, surgeons should consider the patient’s psychological state. Patients’ satisfaction was not influenced by psychological factors. Patients with depression and higher preoperative scores had lower symptom scores and KSS improvement, respectively.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12891-021-04528-7.

Early post-operative oxford knee score and knee society score predict patient satisfaction 2 years after total knee arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

There is poor correlation between functional outcomes and patient satisfaction following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We asked if early post-operative scores at 6 months or the pre- to post-operative change in scores are predictive of patient satisfaction 2 years after TKA.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective review of prospectively collected registry data of 4359 TKAs performed at a single institution. At 6 months and 2 years, the Knee Society Score (KSS), Oxford Knee Score (OKS), and Short-Form 36 scores were assessed. A satisfaction questionnaire was also completed. Logistic regression was used to generate receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves to assess the ability of each scoring system in predicting satisfaction at 2 years.

RESULTS

At 2 years, 91.1% of patients were satisfied. For the absolute post-operative OKS at 6 months, an AUC of 0.762 (95% CI 0.736-0.788) and a threshold of ≤ 21.5 points (or ≥ 38.5 points on the new scale) were obtained. For the KSS knee score, an AUC of 0.704 (95% CI 0.674-0.734) and a threshold of ≥ 80.5 points were identified. The OKS performed significantly better than the KSS knee score (p = 0.03) and the other post-operative scores (p < 0.001). When analysing the change in scores pre-operatively to 6 months, the AUC was < 0.7 for all scales.

CONCLUSIONS

Early post-operative scores, specifically the OKS and KSS knee score, can predict patient satisfaction at 2 years after TKA with good accuracy. The threshold values offer surgeons an additional tool to identify patients at risk of dissatisfaction at 2 years, enabling them to intervene earlier to ensure good patient satisfaction.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

III, retrospective cohort study.