The Impact of Preoperative Anemia on Complications After Total Shoulder Arthroplasty

Associations of preoperative hematocrit and platelet count with morbidity after pathologic fracture fixation

Background

Anemia and abnormal platelet count are common among patients with cancer and are associated with complications after orthopaedic procedures. We studied associations between these conditions and morbidity within 30 days after surgery for pathologic femur or humerus fracture.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed data from the National Surgery Quality Improvement Project database for 145,030 adults following surgical fixation of a pathologic femur or humerus fracture from 2010 to 2020. Multivariable logistic regressions compared 30-day complications between patients with mild or severe anemia versus those with normal hematocrit and between patients with thrombocytopenia or thrombocytosis versus those with normal platelet count.

Results

Likelihood of extended hospitalization (≥6 days) was higher in patients with mild anemia (odds ratio [OR]: 1.47; 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.44, 1.51) and severe anemia (OR: 2.14; 95 % CI: 2.06, 2.23). Likelihood of all-cause morbidity was also higher among those with mild anemia (OR: 1.17; 95 % CI: 1.13, 1.21) and severe anemia (OR: 1.35; 95 % CI: 1.28, 1.42). Similarly, likelihood of extended hospitalization was higher in patients with thrombocytopenia (OR: 1.25; 95 % CI: 1.22, 1.29) and thrombocytosis (OR: 1.24; 95 % CI: 1.13, 1.36). Likelihood of all-cause morbidity was also higher for those with thrombocytopenia (OR: 1.12; 95 % CI: 1.07, 1.16) and thrombocytosis (OR: 1.21; 95 % CI: 1.07, 1.37).

Conclusion

Preoperative anemia and platelet abnormalities were potentially modifiable risk factors associated with postoperative complications following surgery for pathologic fracture.

Increasing severity of preoperative anemia is associated with higher postoperative medical and surgical complications after primary shoulder arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

Anemia is a major cause of morbidity worldwide and compounds numerous medical conditions. Studies have found associations between anemia and both medical and surgical complications after shoulder arthroplasty (SA); however, most of these studies have used commercially available national databases with limited information on outcomes and typically short-term follow-up. Our study sought to evaluate the midterm outcomes of primary SA at a single institution when stratified by the degree of preoperative anemia.

METHODS

Between 2000 and 2020, 5231 primary SA (477 hemiarthroplasties, 2091 anatomic total SA, and 2335 reverse SA) with preoperative hematocrit values available and a minimum follow-up of 2 years were collected from a single-institution joint registry database. The severity of anemia was subclassified as no anemia (hematocrit >39% for males, >36% for females; n = 4194 [80.2%]), mild anemia (hematocrit 33%-39% for males, 33%-36% for females; n = 742 [14.2%]), and moderate-to-severe anemia (hematocrit <33% for both males and females; n = 295 [5.6%]). The mean follow-up time for the entire cohort was 5.9 years (range, 2-22 years). Medical and surgical complications, reoperations, revisions, and implant survivorship were assessed.

RESULTS

SA with moderate-to-severe anemia had the highest rate of nonfatal and nontransfusion medical complications (5.1%) relative to the nonanemic (1.2%; P < .001) and mild anemic groups (1.5%; P < .001). Similarly, SA with moderate-to-severe anemia had the highest rate of surgical complications (19.3%) compared with mild anemia (14.3%; P = .044) and no anemia (11.6%; P < .001). Postoperative transfusion was most frequent in the moderate-to-severe anemia cohort (40.3%) compared with the mild anemia (14.2%; P < .001) and nonanemic groups (2.5%; P < .001). Furthermore, SA who received postoperative transfusions had a higher risk of nonfatal medical complications (8.2% vs. 1.0%; P < .001), 90-day mortality (1.5% vs. 0.03%; P = .001), and surgical complications (19.5% vs. 12.0%; P < .001) when compared with those without transfusion.

CONCLUSIONS

Moderate-to-severe anemia (hematocrit <33% for both males and females) was identified in approximately 5.6% of patients who underwent SA at a single institution and was associated with increased medical and surgical complications. Patients who received postoperative transfusions presented elevated rates of medical complications, 90-day mortality, and surgical complications. Health care teams should be aware of these risks in order to provide more individualized medical optimization and postoperative monitoring.

Anemia Severity and the Risks of Postoperative Complications and Extended Length of Stay Following Primary Total Elbow Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

Anemia is a modifiable risk factor that may influence postoperative complications following orthopedic surgical procedures. The objective was to determine the influence of preoperative anemia severity on postoperative complications and length of stay (LOS) following total elbow arthroplasty (TEA).

METHODS

The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program registry was queried from 2006 to 2019 for patients undergoing primary TEA. Using the World Health Organization definitions of anemia, patients undergoing TEA were stratified into 3 cohorts: nonanemia (hematocrit >36% for women, >39% for men), mild anemia (hematocrit 33%-36% for women, 33%-39% for men), and moderate-to-severe anemia (hematocrit <33% for both women and men). Patient demographics, surgical time, LOS, and postoperative complications were compared between the groups. A P value <.004 was considered significant.

RESULTS

After exclusion, 589 patients, of whom 369 (62.6%) did not have anemia, 129 (21.9%) had mild anemia, and 91 (15.5%) had moderate/severe anemia, were included. Increasing severity of anemia was associated with an increased average hospital LOS (2.30 vs 2.81 vs 4.91 days, P < .001). There was a statistically significant increase in blood transfusions (1.08% vs 7.75% vs 17.58%, P < .001), major complications (9.21% vs 17.83% vs 34.07%, P < .001), any complications (11.11% vs 23.26% vs 36.26%, P < .001), and extended LOS ≥6 days (6.23% vs 6.98% vs 31.87%, P < .001) with increasing severity of anemia. Multivariate analysis identified moderate-to-severe anemia was significantly associated with major complications and extended LOS (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative anemia is a modifiable risk factor for medical and surgical complications within 30 days of TEA.

Abnormal preoperative leukocyte counts and postoperative complications following total shoulder arthroplasty

Background

Total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) has become the mainstay of treatment for degenerative glenohumeral arthritis, proximal humerus fracture, and rotator cuff arthropathy. The expanding indications for reverse TSA have increased the overall demand for TSA. This necessitates higher quality preoperative testing and risk stratification. White blood cell counts can be obtained from routine preoperative complete blood count testing. The association between abnormal preoperative white blood cell counts and postoperative complications has not been extensively studied. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between abnormal preoperative leukocyte counts and 30-day postoperative complications following TSA.

Methods

The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried for all patients who underwent TSA between 2015-2020. Patient demographics, comorbidities, surgical characteristics, and 30-day postoperative complication data were collected. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify postoperative complications associated with preoperative leukopenia and leukocytosis.

Results

In this study, 23,341 patients were included: 20,791 (89.1%) were in the normal cohort, 1307 (5.6%) were in the leukopenia cohort, and 1243 (5.3%) were in the leukocytosis cohort. Preoperative leukopenia was significantly associated with higher rates of bleeding transfusions (P = .011), deep vein thrombosis (P = .037), and non-home discharge (P = .041). After controlling for significant patient variables, preoperative leukopenia was independently associated with higher rates of bleeding transfusions (odds ratios [OR] 1.55, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.08-2.23; P = .017) and deep vein thrombosis (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.07-4.78; P = .033). Preoperative leukocytosis was significantly associated with higher rates of pneumonia (P < .001), pulmonary embolism (P = .004), bleeding transfusions (P < .001), sepsis (P = .007), septic shock (P < .001), readmission (P < .001), and non-home discharge (P < .001). After controlling for significant patient variables, preoperative leukocytosis was independently associated with higher rates of pneumonia (OR 2.20, 95% CI 1.30-3.75; P = .004), pulmonary embolism (OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.17-5.04; P = .017), bleeding transfusions (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.46-2.72; P < .001), sepsis (OR 2.95, 95% CI 1.20-7.25; P = .018), septic shock (OR 4.91, 95% CI 1.38-17.53; P = .014), readmission (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.03-1.79; P = .030), and non-home discharge (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.35-1.92; P < .001).

Conclusion

Preoperative leukopenia is independently associated with higher rates of deep vein thrombosis within 30 days following TSA. Preoperative leukocytosis is independently associated with higher rates of pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, bleeding transfusion, sepsis, septic shock, readmission, and non-home discharge within 30 days following TSA. Understanding the predictive value of abnormal preoperative lab values will aid in perioperative risk stratification and minimize postoperative complications.

Pre-operative anemia was associated with all-cause mortality in patients with vertebral fracture who underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty

PURPOSE

We investigated the association between pre-operative anemia and long-term all-cause mortality in patients with vertebral fracture who underwent a vertebroplasty.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively selected patients who were admitted for vertebroplasty for vertebral compression fracture between 2013 and 2020. Patients who had pathologic fractures or had no assessment of bone mineral density were excluded. Relevant information was collected from electronic medical records. Patients' survival status was confirmed at the end of March 2021. Cox-proportional hazard models were conducted to examine the effects of anemia (<12 g/dL vs. ≥12 g/dL) and pre-operative hemoglobin levels (as a continuous variable) on all-cause mortality with multivariate adjustments.

RESULTS

A total of 167 patients were analyzed (mean age 75.8 ± 9.3 years, male 25.7%). After a median follow-up duration of 2.1 years, pre-operative anemia (hemoglobin <12 g/dL vs. ≥12 g/dL) was independently associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 2.762, 95% CI 1.184 to 6.442, p = 0.019). An increase in pre-operative hemoglobin was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality after multivariate adjustment (hazard ratio 0.775, 95% CI 0.606 to 0.991, p = 0.042).

CONCLUSION

Pre-operative anemia (<12 g/dL) was independently associated with survival outcome among patients with vertebral compression fractures who underwent vertebroplasty. Our findings highlight anemia as a risk factor of long-term mortality in this elderly surgical population.