Coagulopathies Are a Risk Factor for Adverse Events Following Total Hip and Total Knee Arthroplasty

AbstractMeasuring patient satisfaction and surgical outcomes following total joint arthroplasty remains controversial with most tools failing to account for both surgeon and patient satisfaction in regard to outcomes. The purpose of this study was to use “The Forgotten Joint Score” questionnaire to assess clinical outcomes comparing patients who underwent a total hip arthroplasty (THA) with those who underwent a total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent primary THA or TKA between September 2016 and September 2019 and responded to the Forgotten Joint Score-12 (FJS-12) questionnaire at least at one of three time periods (3, 12, and 21 months), postoperatively. An electronic patient rehabilitation application was used to administer the questionnaire. Collected variables included demographic data (age, gender, race, body mass index [BMI], and smoking status), length of stay (LOS), and FJS-12 scores. t-test and chi-square were used to determine significance. Linear regression was used to account for demographic differences. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Of the 2,359 patients included in this study, 1,469 underwent a THA and 890 underwent a TKA. Demographic differences were observed between the two groups with the TKA group being older, with higher BMI, higher American Society of Anesthesiologists scores, and longer LOS. Accounting for the differences in demographic data, THA patients consistently had higher scores at 3 months (53.72 vs. 24.96; p < 0.001), 12 months (66.00 vs. 43.57; p < 0.001), and 21 months (73.45 vs. 47.22; p < 0.001). FJS-12 scores for patients that underwent THA were significantly higher in comparison to TKA patients at 3, 12, and 21 months postoperatively. Increasing patient age led to a marginal increase in FJS-12 score in both cohorts. With higher FJS-12 scores, patients who underwent THA may experience a more positive evolution with their surgery postoperatively than those who had TKA.

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Development, piloting, and evaluation of an evidence-based informed consent form for total knee arthroplasty (EvAb-Pilot): a protocol for a mixed methods study

Pilot and Feasibility Studies ◽

10.1186/s40814-021-00843-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Alina Weise ◽

Julia Lühnen ◽

Stefanie Bühn ◽

Felicia Steffen ◽

Sandro Zacher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Total Knee Arthroplasty ◽

Informed Consent ◽

Adverse Events ◽

Knee Arthroplasty ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Nocebo Effect ◽

Legal Requirements ◽

Consent Forms ◽

Link Type ◽

Total Knee

Abstract Background Practitioners frequently use informed consent forms to support the physician-patient communication and the informed consent process. Informed consent for surgery often focuses on risk centered information due to high liability risks for treatment errors. This may affect patients’ anxiety of adverse events and the nocebo effect. This study focuses on the optimization of pre-surgical information on risks and complications, and at the same time reconciles these information with legal requirements. Methods The development, piloting, and evaluation of evidence-based informed consent forms for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and related anesthesia procedures will follow the UK MRC Framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions. Conducting different sub-studies, we will (I) qualitatively explore the information acquisition and decision-making processes, (II) develop and pilot test evidence-based informed consent forms on the example of TKA and related anesthesia procedures, (III) conduct a monocentric interrupted time series (ITS) pilot study to evaluate the effects of evidence-based informed consent forms in comparison with standard consent forms, and (IV) perform a process evaluation to identify barriers and facilitators to the implementation of the intervention and to analyze mechanisms of impact. Discussion The evidence-based and understandable presentation of risks in informed consent forms aims at avoiding distorted risk depiction and strengthening the patients’ competencies to correctly assess the risks of undergoing surgery. This might reduce negative expectations and anxiety of adverse events, which in turn might reduce the nocebo effect. At the same time, the practitioners’ acceptance of evidence-based informed consent forms meeting legal requirements could be increased. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04669483. Registered 15 December 2020. German Clinical Trials Registry, DRKS00022571. Registered 15 December 2020

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