Bariatric Surgery Prior to Total Joint Arthroplasty May Not Provide Dramatic Improvements in Post-Arthroplasty Surgical Outcomes

• Published in: The Journal of arthroplasty 2014-07, Vol.29 (7), p.1359-1364
• Main Authors: Inacio, Maria C.S., PhD, Paxton, Elizabeth W., MA, Fisher, David, MD, Li, Robert A., MD, Barber, Thomas C., MD, Singh, Jasvinder A., MD, MPH
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee; Bariatric Surgery; complications; Female; Humans; joint arthroplasty; Male; Middle Aged; obesity; Obesity - complications; Obesity - surgery; Orthopedics; Osteoarthritis - complications; Osteoarthritis - surgery; Postoperative Period; Retrospective Studies; revision; surgical site infection; Surgical Wound Infection
• ISSN: 0883-5403; 1532-8406
• DOI: 10.1016/j.arth.2014.02.021

Abstract This study compared the total joint arthroplasty (TJA) surgical outcomes of patients who had bariatric surgery prior to TJA to TJA patients who were candidates but did not have bariatric surgery. Patients were retrospectively grouped into: Group 1 ( n = 69), those with bariatric surgery > 2 years prior to TJA, Group 2 ( n = 102), those with surgery within 2 years of TJA, and Group 3 ( n = 11,032), those without bariatric surgery. In Group 1, 2.9% (95% CI 0.0–6.9%) had complications within 1 year compared to 5.9% (95% CI 1.3%–10.4%) in Group 2, and 4.1% (95% CI 3.8%–4.5%) in Group 3. Ninety-day readmission (7.2%, 95% CI 1.1%–13.4%) and revision density (3.4/100 years of observation) was highest in Group 1. Bariatric surgery prior to TJA may not provide dramatic improvements in post-operative TJA surgical outcomes.