Comparison of Functional Outcomes Between the First and Second Knee in Staged Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty With Diverse Intervals Between Stages.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the study was to analyze if the length of interval time between stages influenced functional and quality of life outcomes in patients with staged bilateral primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS: This is a retrospective comparative study between 93 patients with an interval between stages of 6-8 months (6-month group), 112 of 12-14 months (1-year group), and 108 of 24-26 months (2-year group). Outcome variables were Knee Society scores, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities, Short Form, and patient satisfaction. RESULTS: Overall, the mean follow-up for the first TKA was 8.2 (range, 7-10) years, and for the second TKA, 6.7 (range, 5-10) years. At last follow-up, functional and patient-related outcomes were similar for both knees, regardless of the interval. However, mental score and patient satisfaction were significantly better for the second than for the first TKA in the 2-year group. Age did not correlate significantly with the functional scores but was significantly correlated with the mental score. CONCLUSION: The performing staged bilateral TKA with a wide interval between surgeries provided equivalent functional outcomes and quality of life for both knees. Postoperative outcomes were not affected by the length of the time interval between procedures or age. Our results can help the surgeon to inform the patients reliably about what they can expect in the delay of a second knee replaced. Thus, patients could make an informed decision.

Total Knee Arthroplasty in Patients With Prior Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have analyzed the outcomes of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in patients with prior anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, and the reported outcomes are controversial. The purpose of this study is to assess if prior ACL reconstruction had any impact on the outcome of subsequent TKA. METHODS: A matched case-control study was conducted in patients who underwent TKA, including 37 with prior ACL reconstruction and 37 patients without ACL reconstruction. Preoperative and postoperative clinical and radiological data were collected from a prospective arthroplasty database with a minimum follow-up of 5 years. The mean age was 69.6 years, and 59.4% were men. The Knee Society scores, Short Form-12, and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities questionnaires were used for functional evaluations. Visual analogue scale 0-10 was used for patient satisfaction. RESULTS: The mean follow-up after TKA was 6.1 (range 5-7.3) years. Two patients in the ACL group developed knee stiffness requiring manipulation under anesthesia, while 1 patient in the control group suffered superficial wound infection. At last follow-up, no significant differences in functional or radiologic outcomes were found between both groups. The performance of TKA in ACL patients had increased technical difficulty and significantly longer time of surgery, but this had no influence on the outcomes. In the ACL group, 24 knees had technical difficulty in surgery. The main difficulty in most ACL patients was due to varus deformity and increased retraction of the medial soft structures which required progressive medial release. Other 2 knees had difficult knee exposure. One was an unexpected partial patellar tendon avulsion and the other required planned quadriceps snip. CONCLUSION: TKA was an effective procedure for patients with prior ACL reconstruction. The surgeon should be warned of the possible difficulties in the knee exposure and possible need of medial release to obtain an appropriate ligament balance. However, these additional procedures had no negative effect on the outcomes of TKA.

Risk-Benefit on Quality of Life After Total Knee Arthroplasty in Octogenarians.

BACKGROUND: Clinical outcomes of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in very older patients have been widely studied, but the available evidence on quality of life (QOL) is limited. The objective was to evaluate the impact of TKA on the QOL in octogenarian patients and assess whether the risk-benefit justified surgery. METHODS: Prospective study comparing 143 octogenarian and 149 septuagenarian patients. QOL was assessed with the Short Form-12 (SF-12) and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) questionnaires and functional outcomes with the Knee Society score (KSS). Comorbidity, complications, pain, and satisfaction were also assessed. RESULTS: Mean postoperative follow-up was 3.2 years (range, 2-5 years). Comorbidities, medical complications, transfusion rate, and length stay were not different between groups (P < .05). Comorbidities and complications had no influence on the outcomes. There were no significant differences in preoperative knee KSS, WOMAC, or SF-12 mental scores, but octogenarians had significantly lower functional KSS (P = .003) and SF-12 physical scores (P = .005). At the last follow-up, there were no significant differences in KSS, WOMAC, and SF-12 physical scores (P < .05), but octogenarians had higher SF-12 mental (P = .030) and satisfaction (P = .031) scores. CONCLUSION: TKA provided pain relief, satisfaction, and improvement in QOL for octogenarian patients to the level of the septuagenarian patients. TKA was a suitable option for octogenarian patients with appropriate surgical indications and manageable risk.

Comparable outcomes after total knee arthroplasty in patients under 55 years than in older patients: a matched prospective study with minimum follow-up of 10 years.

PURPOSE: To compare outcomes after TKA for osteoarthritis between patients younger than 55 years and older patients. METHODS: A cohort of 61 patients aged 55 years or younger was prospectively matched for gender, body mass index and knee function with patients with median age of 66 (range 60-70) years. Clinical evaluation was performed by the Knee Society scores (KSS), reduced Western Ontario and McMasters Universities (WOMAC) and Short-Form 12 (SF12) questionnaires. Radiological evaluation was also performed. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 12 (range 10-14) years. Survival at 14 years was 96.7% (95% CI 92-100%) in the younger group and 98.2% (95% CI 95-100%) in the older group (n.s.). There was no deep infection or loosening of femoral or patellar component in either group. In the younger group, 2 patients required revision (aseptic tibial loosening at 8 years, and polyethylene wear at 10 years). In the older group, there was 1 revision (aseptic tibial loosening). Revision rate was not significantly different (n.s.). Multivariate analysis showed no significant relationship between revision and age, gender or BMI. At 5-year follow-up, there were no significant differences between groups in KSS knee or function, WOMAC pain or function, or SF12 physical or mental, but in the last evaluation there were better results in younger patients for KSS-function (p = 0.018), WOMAC-function (p = 0.028), SF12-physical (p = 0.001) and SF12-mental (p = 0.035), although these differences were not clinically relevant. A significant decline was noted for KSS-function in either group from 5-year to at last follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The TKA survival in younger patients was comparable to older active patients, without increased complications or revisions at a minimum follow-up of 10 years. Primary hybrid TKA can provide successful pain relief, function and quality of life in younger patients than 55 years with osteoarthritis. TKA is a suitable option for these young patients with appropriate surgical indications. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

Better functional outcome after single-radius TKA compared with multi-radius TKA.

PURPOSE: To determine whether the design of the femoral component influenced patient outcomes. METHODS: Two hundred and thirty-seven patients were randomized to compare functional outcomes between single-radius TKA (SR, 118 patients) and multi-radius TKA (MR, 119 patients) with a minimum follow-up of 5 years. Prospective pre- and postoperative assessments were performed by the clinical and radiological criteria of the Knee Society Score (KSS), WOMAC and Short-Form 12 (SF12) questionnaires. The extension mechanism was assessed based on the quadriceps strength and chair test. Patient satisfaction was also assessed. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 5.7 (range 5-7) years. At last follow-up, significant better KSSs (p = 0.001), range of motion (p = 0.001), extension lag (p = 0.020), quadriceps strength (p = 0.004), chair test (p = 0.032) and WOMAC pain (p = 0.002) were found in the SR group. Moreover, the improvements of these variables were early in the SR group (from 6 postoperative months). There were no significant differences in WOMAC function or SF12 physical and mental components. The revision rate and implant survival were similar in both groups. Satisfaction rate was significantly higher in SR group (p = 0.032). CONCLUSION: This study shows better results with SR cruciate-retaining femoral component than MR component. The use of SR system is recommended because, although the clinically relevant differences were moderate, the functional improvement was earlier and the patient satisfaction higher with this design. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, Level I.

Early surgery within 2 days for hip fracture is not reliable as healthcare quality indicator.

PURPOSE: To analyze prospectively the influence of the timing of surgery on morbidity and mortality, and to assess whether the early surgery within 2 days admission may be a reliably healthcare quality indicator. METHODS: Prospective observational study of 628 patients age 60 or older who had been co-managed between surgeons and internists. Based on the literature, many potential factors influencing outcomes were collected to control confounding regard to surgery delay, complications and mortality. Multivariate logistic regression and Cox regression models were used to assess effects on the delay and mortality, respectively. RESULTS: Mean Charlson index was 2.3, and 284 patients had at least 3 comorbidities. Mean timing of surgery was 3.6 days (range 0-20). 418 patients were fit for surgery, of which 180 underwent surgery within 2 days. Delay for surgery more than 2 days was significantly associated with ASA >2, Charlson >2 and anticoagulant therapy. Medical complications were not significantly associated with delayed surgery more than 2 days. Mortality rate was 0.9% in-hospital, 3.4 at 1 month, 7.0% at 3 months, and 13.6% at 12 months. There were no significant differences in in-hospital, 3-month or 1-year mortality between patients operated within 2 days and those operated at 3-4 days, but delayed more than 4 days was associated with higher 1-year mortality. Likewise, patients readmitted within 30 days had higher in-hospital mortality. Excluding unfit for surgery patients at admission, there was no significant difference in 3-month or 1-year mortality between patients operated within 2 days and those with delayed surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Delaying surgery up to 4 days was not associated with higher morbidity or mortality rates. We recommend concentrating more on preoperative optimizing the condition of patient with sufficient medical treatment rather than being bound by a universal timing of surgery.

Elective Total Knee Arthroplasty in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease: Is It a Safe Procedure?

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes and complications after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) between end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and patients without renal insufficiency. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study with prospectively collected data was carried out to compare 15 ESRD patients with a matched cohort of 30 nonrenal patients. Clinical evaluation was performed by the Knee Society Scores (KSS) and reduced Western Ontario MacMasters University (WOMAC) questionnaire. Radiologic evaluation was also performed. RESULTS: The mean postoperative follow-up was 3.4 years (range, 2-6). In the ESRD, the mean hospital stay and transfusion rate were significantly higher than control group. Preoperatively and postoperatively, there were no significant differences in KSS-knee or WOMAC-pain scores, but KSS-function and WOMAC-function were significantly lower in the ESRD group. There was no significant difference between groups in mean gain of KSS-function (45.1 vs 43.2, P = .071), but there was a significant lower mean gain for WOMAC-function in the ESRD group (37.0 vs 44.0, P = .003). In the ESRD group, 3 patients presented medical complications which were treated successfully. There were 2 superficial infections and no deep infection. One patient died at 30 postoperative months. In the control group, there were no medical complications, infections, or deaths during the follow-up period. In ESRD group, there were 2 knees with radiolucent lines. In either group, there was no loosening or revision. CONCLUSION: TKA was a successful procedure for knee osteoarthritis in most ESRD patients. Dialysis patients may expect improvement in function after TKA, but the patients need to be informed of the possible risk of postoperative severe medical complications due to nature of their renal disease.

Negative impact of waiting time for primary total knee arthroplasty on satisfaction and patient-reported outcome.

PURPOSE: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of the time on waiting list for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) on the post-operative satisfaction and patient-reported outcomes. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study of 192 patients followed for one year. Patients were pre and post-operatively assessed with the 12-item Short-Form, reduced Western Ontario MacMaster University, and Knee Society scores. In addition, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale was used at time of admission, and patient satisfaction on a five point Likert scale at one post-operative year. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: Patients waiting longer than six months had significantly worse pre-operative anxiety score as well as post-operative SF12 (both physical and mental) and KSS-function scores compared to those with a waiting time shorter than six months. Dissatisfaction rate was also higher in patients waiting longer than six months, and it was mainly influenced by pre-operative anxiety and depression. CONCLUSIONS: Waiting time longer than six months negatively influenced post-operative satisfaction and patient-related outcome at one year after TKA. These findings may have important clinical implications regarding the prioritization of patients on wait lists or for optimization of treatment while patients wait for surgery related to the management of the mental health and anxiety in order to reduce post-operative dissatisfaction and improve patient-reported outcomes.