The rate of COVID-19 and associated mortality after elective hip and knee arthroplasty prior to cessation of elective services in UK: a multicentre study conducted during March 2020. (1st April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Clement, Nicholas D.; Hall, Andrew J.; Kader, Nardeen; Ollivere, Benjamin; Oussedik, Sam; Kader, Deiary F.; Deehan, David J.; Duckworth, Andrew D.
• Is Part Of: Bone & joint journal. Volume 103B:Number 4(2021)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 8
• Publication Date: 2021-04-01
• Subjects: COVID-19 -- Hip -- Knee -- Arthroplasty -- Mortality -- Elective; Bones -- Surgery -- Periodicals; Joints -- Surgery -- Periodicals; Orthopedic surgery -- Periodicals; 617.47005
• DOI: 10.1302/0301-620X.103B.BJJ-2020-1776.R1
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2049-4394

Abstract

Abstract : Aims: The primary aim was to assess the rate of postoperative COVID-19 following hip and knee arthroplasty performed in March 2020 in the UK. The secondary aims were to assess whether there were clinical factors associated with COVID-19 status, the mortality rate of patients with COVID-19, and the rate of potential COVID-19 in patients not presenting to healthcare services. Methods: A multicentre retrospective study was conducted of patients undergoing hip or knee arthroplasty during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (1 March 2020 to 31 March 2020) with a minimum of 60 days follow-up. Patient demographics, American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, procedure type, primary or revision, length of stay (LOS), COVID-19 test status, and postoperative mortality were recorded. A subgroup of patients (n = 211) who had not presented to healthcare services after discharge were contacted and questioned as to whether they had symptoms of COVID-19. Results: Five (0.5%) of 1, 073 patients who underwent hip or knee arthroplasty tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 postoperatively. When adjusting for confounding factors, increasing LOS (p = 0.022) was the only significant factor associated with developing COVID-19 following surgery and a stay greater than three days was a reliable predictor with an area under the curve of 81% (p = 0.018). There were three (0.3%) deaths in the study cohort and the overall mortality rate attributable to COVID-19 was 0.09% (n = 1/1, 073), with one (20%) of the five patients with COVID-19 dying postoperatively. Of the 211 patients contacted, two had symptoms within two to 14 days postoperatively with a positive predictive value of 31% and it was therefore estimated that one patient may have had undiagnosed COVID-19. Conclusion: The rate of postoperative COVID-19 was 0.5% and may have been as high as 1% when accounting for those patients not presenting to healthcare services, which was similar to the estimated population prevalence during the study period. The overall mortality rate secondary to COVID-19 was low (0.09%), however the mortality rate for those patients developing COVID-19 was 20%.