Risk factors for complications in hip arthroplasties: a confining study of 1220 patients

Objective: As mean life expectancy increases in recent years, it is evident that hip fractures will constitute a severe health problem in future. The number of hip arthroplasties will increase accordingly. We aimed to examine the factors which are related to complications in our patient population. Methods: Retrospective evaluation of the medical reports of hip arthroplasty patients in University of Health Sciences Kartal Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Education and Research Hospital between January 2012 and December 2017 was performed. Age, gender, American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) grade, clinical comorbidities, anesthesia type, type of operation, length of surgery, blood transfusion requirement, complications, intensive care unit requirement, were documented. Results: During the study period, 1220 patients (530 male, 690 female) were included to the study. Mean age of the patients was 63.1±7.7. Out of 1220 patients, 35.1% (n=428) were operated under general anaesthesia, 29.2% (n=356) under combined spinal-epidural anaesthesia, 22.1% (n=270) under spinal anaesthesia, and13.6% (n=166) under epidural anaesthesia. Mean hospital stay was five days in the general anesthesia group and seven days in the regional anesthesia group. Cox regression analysis showed that ASA, comorbidities, type of operation, length of operation and transfusion were associated with a higher risk of complication (p<0.05). Age, gender, and type of anesthesia had no relationship with risk of complication (p>0.05). Conclusion: The risk factors of complications in hip arthroplasties should be carefully evaluated in surgical preparation of hip arthroplasties, and proper procurement of equipment and medications will be helpful in decreasing mortality rates.