34 - Major Orthopedic Surgery

Abstract

Although many studies have documented the utility and benefits of joint replacement and spine surgery, there continues to be a paucity of large randomized clinical trial data on interventions to minimize postoperative complications after these procedures. Several factors have been shown to impact morbidity and mortality in orthopedic patients. For hip replacement surgery, age has been established to be an independent predictor of mortality where patients older than 80 years of age have a mortality 38% higher than those below than 59 years of age. Patients with an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) ≥3, preexisting pulmonary or cardiac conditions, renal insufficiency, or diabetes mellitus also have higher morbidity. Patients undergoing spine operations have the potential for unique postoperative complications, which will be discussed separately.