Increased Risk of Hospital Readmissions and Implant-Related Complications in Patients Who Had a Recent History of Fragility Fracture: A Matched Cohort Analysis

Abstract

BackgroundWith the increasing utilization of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in a continually aging US population, the number of patients who have low bone mineral density who undergo TKA may concomitantly increase. This study aimed to assess the rates of short-term complications following TKA in patients who did and did not have a recent history of a prior fragility fracture. MethodsA matched retrospective cohort study analyzing 48,796 patients was performed using a national database to determine the impact of a preceding fragility fracture on rates of short-term complications following TKA. The rates of complications at 1 and 2 years post-TKA were analyzed using multivariate logistic regressions. ResultsPrior fragility fracture was associated with increased rates of 1-year hospital readmissions (hazard ratio = 1.30, 95% CI, 1.22-1.38), periprosthetic fractures (odds ratio [OR] = 2.72, 95% CI, 1.89-3.99), non–infection-related revisions (OR = 1.32, 95% CI, 1.09-1.60), secondary fragility fractures (OR = 4.62, 95% CI, 4.19-5.12), prosthesis dislocations (OR = 1.76, 95% CI, 1.22-2.56), prosthesis instabilities (OR = 1.64, 95% CI, 1.25-2.15), and periprosthetic infections (OR = 1.49, 95% CI, 1.29-1.71), with similar trends in implant-related complications also seen at the 2-year mark. Patients who filled a prescription for osteoporosis pharmacotherapy had clinically similar rates of these complications compared to those who did not. ConclusionSustaining a fragility fracture prior to TKA is associated with an increased risk of hospital readmission and significant implant-related postoperative complications, potentially increasing the morbidity and mortality of TKA in these patients.