New Joints, Same Old Weight: Weight Changes after Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty

Obesity is a well-known risk factor for postoperative complications following total joint arthroplasty. However, because the operation is often successful, orthopedic surgeons continue to operate on obese individuals, and many surgeons do so under the assumption that patients will lose weight after...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:HSS journal 2016-07, Vol.12 (2), p.193-195
Main Authors: Hurwit, Daniel J., Trehan, Samir K., Cross, Michael B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anesthesiology
Evidence Based Review in Orthopedics
Imaging
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Orthopedics
Radiology
Rheumatology
Sports Medicine
Surgical Orthopedics
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Obesity is a well-known risk factor for postoperative complications following total joint arthroplasty. However, because the operation is often successful, orthopedic surgeons continue to operate on obese individuals, and many surgeons do so under the assumption that patients will lose weight after they are able to walk and exercise without pain. In this article, we review a recent study by Ast et al., who performed a retrospective review, using a single-center institutional registry, to determine (1) whether patients do actually lose weight after total hip and/or total knee arthroplasty, (2) whether there are predictors of postoperative weight change, and (3) whether postoperative weight changes affect patient-reported clinical outcomes. The principle conclusion was that most patients maintained their body mass index (BMI) after total hip and total knee arthroplasty (73 and 69%, respectively). However, patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty, patients who had a higher preoperative BMI, and female patients were more likely to lose weight postoperatively. When examined in the context of the current literature, this study provides valuable information for the preoperative counseling of total joint arthroplasty candidates, especially in the setting of obesity.
ISSN:1556-3316
1556-3324
DOI:10.1007/s11420-015-9481-5