High Complication Rates for Obese Joint Replacement Patients

Hip Replacement
In a study presented in the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons journal Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, of the nearly 1 million patients (including knee and shoulder arthroplasty) it was shown that obese patients were 30 percent more likely to develop a post-op complication.⁴ Other studies showed that obese patients getting a hip replacement: ^5,6,7

• Had longer procedure times;
• Lost more blood;
• Needed a greater number of blood transfusions; and
• Required more intravenous fluids.

Knee Replacement
In studies chronicled in the Journal of Knee Surgery and the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, it was shown that in patients undergoing knee replacement, obesity was associated with:^8,9

• Increased length of stay;
• Discharge to a rehabilitation facility (instead of to the patients home); and
• Higher complication rates.

Obesity is a national epidemic and, clearly, a huge opportunity for orthopedic device product development. Addressing obesity will improve clinical outcomes and quality of life, and reduce the financial burden of healthcare globally.

References:

1. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Kit B, Flegal KM. NCHS data brief, prevalence of obesity in the United States, 2009–2010
2. Ann R. Coll Surg Engl 2006; 89: 203–206
3. Ibid
4. Jain N, Guller U, Pietrobon, Bond T, Higgins L. Co-morbidities increase complication rates in patients having arthroplasty. Clin Orthop 2005; 435: 232–8
5. Jiganti J, Goldstein W, Williams C. A comparison of the perioperative morbidity in total joint arthroplasty in the obese and non-obese patients. Clin Orthop 1993; 289:175–9
6. Moran M, Walmsly P, Brenkel I. Does BMI affect the outcome of primary cemented total hip replacement? J Bone Joint Surg Br 2004; 86 (Suppl): 81
7. McLaughlin JR, Lee KR. The outcome of total hip replacement in obese and non-obese patients at 10- to 18-years. J Bone Joint Surg Br 2006; 88: 1286–92
8. Miric A, Lim M, Kahn B, Rozenthal T. Perioperative morbidity following total knee arthroplasty among obese patients. J Knee Surg 2002; 15: 77
9. Winiarsky R, Barth P, Lotke P. Total knee arthroplasty in morbidly obese patients. J Bone Joint Surg Am 1998; 80: 1770–4

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