The effects of advanced age on primary total knee arthroplasty: a meta-analysis and systematic review

Abstract

BackgroundTotal knee arthroplasty is an effective treatment when nonsurgical treatments fail, but it is associated with risk of complications which may be increased in advanced age. The purpose of this study was to quantify age-related differences in perioperative morbidity and mortality after total knee arthroplasty through systematic review of existing literature.MethodsPubMed, the Cochrane database of systematic reviews, Scopus, and clinicaltrials.gov, were queried for relevant studies that compared primary total knee arthroplasty outcomes of mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE) and functional status, of geriatric patients (>75 years old) with a younger control group (<65 years old). Pertinent journals and reference lists were hand searched. Eligibility criteria included all articles except case reports, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. Two authors independently extracted data from each paper. Article quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.ResultsTwenty-two studies were included. Geriatric patients had higher rates of mortality, MI, DVT, and length of stay in older compared to younger patients, however the absolute magnitude of these increases were small. The increase in mortality may have reflected decreased life expectancy in the geriatric populations as opposed to mortality specifically due perioperative risk. There were no differences in PE incidence and improvement in pain and functional status was equal in older and younger patients. Existing studies were limited by non-randomized patient selection, as well as variation in definitions and methodology.ConclusionsExisting data supports offering primary total knee arthroplasty to select geriatric patients, although the risk of complications may be increased. Much of the data was of poor quality. Future prospective studies are needed to better identify risks and benefits of total knee arthroplasty so that patients and surgeons can make informed decisions.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12877-016-0215-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The prognostic value of pain catastrophizing in health-related quality of life judgments after Total knee arthroplasty

“…This finding might be explained by a low variability in BMI in the present sample, with most scores (90.5%) falling in the overweight range. In agreement with previous research, the present study revealed that age was not associated with post-surgical HRQoL [ 38 ].…”

Do Age and Co-morbidy, Among other Factors, affect Length of Hospital Stay following Total Knee Arthroplasty

“…There is no difference in the average LOS amongst all age groups. This finding was contrary with many previous studies 8 , 12 . Fang et al in their study defined the LOS as discharge from hospital to home or other nursing home.…”

Selecting and optimising patients for total knee arthroplasty

“…Both young (< 50 years) and old (> 90 years) age are thought to be relative contraindications to undergoing TKA. While younger people have a higher likelihood of requiring revision surgery (both earlier and during their lifetime), and although there is some evidence that clinical results may also be inferior in younger people, youth itself is not a contraindication. Young people can still experience benefits if they satisfy the criteria above.…”