Total knee arthroplasty is safe for patients aged ≥80 years in Hong Kong

• Published in: Hong Kong medical journal = Xianggang yi xue za zhi 2021-10, Vol.27 (5), p.350-354
• Main Authors: Cheung, A, Chan, P K, Fu, H, Cheung, M H, Chan, V W K, Yan, C H, Chiu, K Y
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Arthritis; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee; Clinical outcomes; Demographics; Hong Kong - epidemiology; Hospitals; Humans; Incidence; Joint replacement surgery; Joint surgery; Mortality; Osteoarthritis, Knee - surgery; Patients; Population; Standard deviation
• ISSN: 1024-2708; 2226-8707
• DOI: 10.12809/hkmj208942

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is an efficacious operation that improves pain and function in patients with knee arthritis. Because of the population ageing trend in Hong Kong, there is a need to determine the safety profile of TKA in older patients. This study examined the age of patients who underwent TKA in the past 10 years in Hong Kong; the aim was to investigate the mortality safety profile and clinical outcomes of TKA in patients aged ≥80 years. This study included all patients who underwent primary TKA in the Hospital Authority (HA) from 2010 to 2019. Incidences of 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year mortality were established. Clinical outcomes of patients aged ≥80 years in one cluster of HA hospitals were assessed. Between 2010 and 2019, 25 040 TKA procedures were conducted in all HA hospitals; 2491 were conducted in patients aged ≥80 years. The median age at operation was higher during 2015-2019 than during 2010-2014 (70 vs 69 years; P