Abstract
Malnutrition is considered a risk factor for postoperative complications in total hip and knee arthroplasty, though prospective studies investigating this assumption are lacking. The aim of this study was to prospectively analyse the 90-day postoperative complications, postoperative length of stay (LOS) and readmission rates of patients undergoing primary total hip and total kneearthroplasty using albumin, total lymphocyte count (TLC) and transferrin as serum markers of potential malnutrition.603 primary hip and 823 primary knee arthroplasties over a 3-year period from a single centre wereprospectively analysed. BMI, demographic and comorbidity data were recorded. Complications werecategorised as surgical site infection, venous thromboembolism (deep vein thrombosis andpulmonary embolus), implant related (such as dislocation), and non-implant related (such aspneumonia). Outcomes were compared between groups, with malnutrition defined as serumalbumin <3.5g/dL, transferrin <200 mg/dL, or TLC <1,500 cells/mm³.Potential malnutrition was present in 9.3% of the study population. This group experienced a longeraverage LOS at 6.5 days compared to the normal albumin group at 5.0 days (p=0.003). Surgical siteinfection rate was higher in the malnourished group (12.5 vs 7.8%, p=0.02). There was no differencebetween the two groups in implant related complications (0.8 vs 1.0%, p=0.95) medicalcomplications (7.8 vs 13.3%, p=0.17), rate of venous thromboembolism (2.3 vs 2.7%) or 90-dayreadmission rate (14.1 vs 17.0%, p=0.56). TLC and transferrin were not predictive of any of theprimary outcomes measured (p<0.05). Pacific Island (p<0.001), Indian (p=0.02) and Asian (p=0.02) patients had lower albumin than NZ European.This study demonstrates an association between low albumin levels and increased postoperativeLOS and surgical site infection in total joint arthroplasty, providing rationale for consideration ofpreoperative nutritional screening and optimisation.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
