In-Hospital Morbidity and Mortality Following Total Joint Arthroplasty in Patients with Hemoglobinopathies

Given the growing patient population with hemoglobinopathies needing total joint arthroplasty (TJA) and paucity of literature addressing this cohort, we examined the in-hospital complications in patients with hemoglobinopathies undergoing TJA. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes were used to search the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database for hemoglobinopathy patients undergoing primary or revision TJA. Hemoglobinopathy patients had a significant increase in cardiac, respiratory, and wound complications; blood product transfusion; pulmonary embolism; surgical site infection; and systemic infection events, while there was no significant effect on deaths, deep vein thrombosis, and renal complications. It may be prudent to implement blood conservation strategies as well as diligent postoperative protocols to minimize the need for transfusion and related complications in this patient population.