Orthopedics Today reports on HSS study results presented at the at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Annual Meeting by Martin W. Roche, MD, knee surgeon and director of arthroplasty at HSS Florida, finding there should be minimal concern regarding medical and implant-related complications due to age in patients older than 80 years who undergo total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

According to Dr. Roche, patients and physicians should be aware these patients have a risk for higher readmission rates, certain medical complications and postoperative length of stay after TKA compared with younger patients.

He continued, “I think the odds ratio being so close was interesting to me because, if you look at this database that we selected, it goes back to 2005. We, back then doing joints, were keeping patients in the hospital longer so that they could go to [skilled nursing in-patient facilities] and rehab. So length of stay, I think, is kind of probably social more and economic driven than need.”

Dr. Roche noted he can tell family members who care for or who are interested in the care of an older relative “we have data now that show octogenarians do as well, in certain cases better, in terms of thrombophlebitis than our younger cohort of patients.”

Read the full article at Healio.com/orthopedics.