Patient comprehension and recall immediately following a thorough discussion of the consent form was unexpectedly low. This poor recall deteriorated further between the preoperative visit and the first postoperative visit (a period of no more than two weeks). Greater age and lower education level were associated with poorer comprehension. Sex did not affect any of the scores.

Background The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between smoking status and postoperative complications within 30 days of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR). Methods The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried to identify all patients who underwent ARCR from 2015 to 2017. Smokers were defined as patients who reported smoking cigarettes in the year prior to rotator cuff repair. Patients who used chewing tobacco, cigars, or electronic cigarettes were not included in the smoking cohort. Postoperative complications were reported within 30 days of the procedure. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to investigate the relationship between smoking status and postoperative complications. Results There were 18,594 patients included in this study. Of these patients, 2834 (15.2%) were current smokers. Smokers were more likely to be men, to be aged < 65 years, and to have a body mass index < 30. Smokers were also more likely to have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, to be functionally dependent, and to have an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class ≥ 3. After adjustment for all significantly associated patient demographic characteristics and comorbidities, smoking was identified as a significant predictor of surgical complications (odds ratio [OR], 1.955; P = .022), return to the operating room (OR, 2.547; P = .003), readmission (OR, 1.570; P = .014), and sepsis or septic shock (OR, 4.737; P = .021). Smoking was not a significant predictor of medical complications (OR, 1.105; P = .687) or surgical-site infections (OR, 1.216; P = .713). Conclusion Smoking may be a risk factor for surgical complications, readmission, and sepsis or septic shock within 30 days of ARCR.

BackgroundAlthough venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been studied in lower-extremity arthroplasty, there are few guidelines regarding established risk factors for VTE in total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA). With literature suggesting the VTE rate may be as high as 13%, VTE prevention and risk factors should be considered in preoperative planning.MethodsAll TSAs from 2011 through 2016 were queried from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Age, sex, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists class, ethnicity, functional status, comorbidities, discharge destination, surgical indication, length of stay, and operative time were compared between patients with and without 30-day postoperative VTE. Pearson χ2 and t tests were used to assess baseline categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine associated independent risk factors for VTE.ResultsThe analysis included 13,299 patients; VTE developed in 83 patients (0.62%). Patients with VTE were older (72 years vs. 69 years) and had a longer hospital stay (3.5 days vs. 1.9 days). Compared with patients with no VTE, patients with VTE were more likely to undergo TSA for proximal humeral fractures, to be discharged to a rehabilitative center, to have a preoperative albumin level lower than 3.5 g/dL, to undergo non-elective surgery, to have an American Society of Anesthesiologists class of 3 or greater, to have a surgical-site infection develop, and ultimately to need a shoulder reoperation (all P < .05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that hypoalbuminemia (albumin level < 3.5 g/dL), an increased length of stay, and African American ethnicity were independent risk factors for VTE development.ConclusionPatients with hypoalbuminemia, an increased length of stay, and African American ethnicity are at an increased risk of VTE after shoulder arthroplasty. A high index of suspicion is warranted for elderly patients with fractures who may need preoperative medical optimization.

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