Increased Medical and Implant-Related Complications in Total Hip Arthroplasty Patients With Underlying Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been associated with impaired bone metabolism. The purpose of this study is to investigate rates of readmission, respiratory complications, implant-related complications, and revision after total hip arthroplasty (THA) in patients with and without underlying COPD.

The PearlDiver Mariners database was used to divide patients undergoing primary THA (CPT-27130) into two cohorts: 1) THA with COPD (including asthma) or 2) THA without COPD. The incidence of 30-day readmission, COPD exacerbation, pneumonia, other respiratory complications as well as dislocations, mechanical loosening, and joint prosthetic infection was calculated through logistic regression. The risk of THA revision was also assessed through Cox-proportional hazards regression. All regression controlled for age, gender, and medical comorbidities found to be associated with COPD.

Between 2010 and 2018, 97,784 THA patients with COPD and 338,243 THA patient without COPD were studied. THA patients with COPD had higher risk of 30-day readmission (aOR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.11-1.23, P < .0001). There was higher risk of 30-day pneumonia (aOR = 2.07, 95% CI 1.76-2.44, P < .0001). THA patients with COPD also faced higher risk of 30-day dislocations (aOR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.19-1.45, P < .0001), joint prosthetic infections (aOR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.14-1.37, P < .0001), and periprosthetic fracture (aOR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.07-1.32, P = .0015). Regarding revisions, 3.3% of THA patients with COPD underwent THA revision at 1 year, a higher risk than THA patients without COPD (aOR = 1.11, 95% CI 1.06-1.16, P < .0001).

Patients undergoing THA with underlying COPD face a higher rate of comorbidities, respiratory complications, implant complications, and revision surgeries, than patients without COPD.

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