GENDER AND SURGICAL OUTCOMES AND MORTALITY AFTER PRIMARY TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY: A RISK-ADJUSTED ANALYSIS
Jasvinder A. Singh, MBBS, MPH, C. Kent Kwoh, MD, Diane Richardson, PhD, Wei Chen, MS, MSE, and Said A. Ibrahim, MD, MPHKnee
Objective
Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a widely utilized and an effective treatment option for end-stage knee OA. Knee OA is more prevalent among women compared to men, but there are limited data on gender differences in surgical outcomes after total knee arthroplasty.
Methods
Our sample consisted of all primary TKA’s performed in the State of Pennsylvania during the fiscal year 2002. We used ICD-9 codes to identify major complications and surgical revision. We used mixed effects logistic regression models to examine the associations between gender and all-cause mortality, readmissions, and major surgical complications. We used proportional hazards model to assess the risk of surgical revision after index arthroplasty. We adjusted for race, age, hospital teaching status, hospital procedure volume, insurance status and risk of mortality.
Results
In 17,994 primary TKA’s, there were 46 deaths at 30-days and 220 at one-year. Compared to women, men had higher adjusted odds of one-year mortality (Odds Ratio (OR)=1.48; 95% CI=1.13–1.94) after primary TKA. The overall odds of most major 30-day complications did not differ by gender, except surgical wound infections, which were higher in men compared to women (OR= 1.31; 95% CI=1.08–1.60); 30-day readmission was higher in men (OR=1.25; 95% CI=1.10–1.43). Men had significantly higher rates of index knee arthroplasty revision at 5-years (hazard ratio= 1.20; 95% CI=1.05–1.36) compared to women.
Conclusion
Higher rates of mortality, hospital readmissions, revision surgery and wound infections in men undergoing elective TKA, compared to women, indicates gender disparity in these outcomes.
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