Maintenance of Surgical Optimization in Total Joint Arthroplasty Patients.

BACKGROUND: There are increased efforts to maximize medical optimization to improve the outcomes of total joint arthroplasty (TJA). However, there is a paucity of literature demonstrating that optimized parameters are maintained throughout the perioperative period. METHODS: A retrospective review of 877 elective TJA patients from 2015 to 2019 was conducted. Patients who underwent medical optimization for body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), hemoglobin, albumin, and smoking status were reviewed at the initial visit, preoperatively, time of surgery, and one year postoperatively. For each of these variables at each time point, patients were stratified into 3 optimization groups. Analyses were performed to identify mean time to optimization, loss of optimization, and maintenance of optimization. RESULTS: Patients considered not optimized due to specific parameters at the initial visit were as follows: BMI (19%), HbA1c (13.5%), hemoglobin (16%), albumin (19%), and smoking status (9.5%). The mean time to optimization was 187.7 days [longest being BMI (220.1 days), and the shortest being HbA1c (60.9 days) (P = .0003)]. Patients who had intermediate optimization of BMI at the preoperative visit were at higher risk [odds ratio: 2.1 (0.97 to 4.6)] of worsening BMI by time of surgery (P < .0001). Between the preoperative and surgery time points, over 93.5% of patients maintained or improved optimization. CONCLUSIONS: Surgeon led medical optimization efforts alongside a TJA program provide maintenance of, or improvement in optimization in more than half of TJA patients up to one year postoperatively. Patients who had a BMI between 40 and 45 at the preoperative visit are at significant risk of increasing their BMI by the day of surgery.

Thirty-Day Mortality and Complication Rates in Total Joint Arthroplasty After a Recent COVID-19 Diagnosis: A Retrospective Cohort in the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C).

BACKGROUND: The risk of postoperative complications in patients who had a positive COVID-19 test prior to a total joint arthroplasty (TJA) is unknown. The purpose of this investigation was to study the complications and mortality associated with a recent COVID-19 diagnosis prior to TJA. METHODS: Patients undergoing primary and revision total hip arthroplasties (THAs) or total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) were identified using the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) Data Enclave. Patients were divided into a COVID-19-positive group (positive polymerase chain reaction [PCR] test, clinical diagnosis, or positive antibody test) and a COVID-19-negative group, and the time from diagnosis was noted. There was no differentiation between severity or acuity of illness available. The postoperative complications reviewed included venous thromboembolism, pneumonia, acute myocardial infarction, readmission rates, and 30-day mortality rates. RESULTS: A total of 85,047 patients who underwent elective TJA were included in this study, and 3,516 patients (4.13%) had had a recent positive COVID-19 diagnosis. Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 at 2 weeks prior to TJA were at increased risk of pneumonia (odds ratio [OR], 2.46), acute myocardial infarction (OR, 2.90), sepsis within 90 days (OR, 2.63), and 30-day mortality (OR, 10.61). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a recent COVID-19 diagnosis prior to TJA are at greater risk of postoperative complications including 30-day mortality. Our analysis presents critical data that should be considered prior to TJA in patients recently diagnosed with COVID-19. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level III . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Acceptance of Acute Kidney Injury Alert by Providers in Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after cardiac surgery and is associated with worse outcomes. Its management relies on early diagnosis, and therefore, electronic alerts have been used to alert clinicians for development of AKI. Electronic alerts are, however, associated with high rates of alert fatigue. OBJECTIVES: We designed this study to assess the acceptance of user-centered electronic AKI alert by clinicians. METHODS: We developed a user-centered electronic AKI alert that alerted clinicians of development of AKI in a persistent yet noninterruptive fashion. As the goal of the alert was to alert toward new or worsening AKI, it disappeared 48 hours after being activated. We assessed the acceptance of the alert using surveys at 6 and 12 months after the alert went live. RESULTS: At 6 months after their implementation, 38.9% providers reported that they would not have recognized AKI as early as they did without this alert. This number increased to 66.7% by 12 months of survey. Most providers also shared that they re-dosed or discontinued medications earlier, provided earlier management of volume status, avoided intravenous contrast use, and evaluated patients by using point-of-care ultrasounds more due to the alert. Overall, 83.3% respondents reported satisfaction with the electronic AKI alerts at 6 months and 94.4% at 12 months. CONCLUSION: This study showed high rates of acceptance of a user-centered electronic AKI alert over time by clinicians taking care of patients with AKI.