Obesity Linked to a Higher Rate of Revision Knee Replacement

“We found that obese patients had a higher rate of revision surgery overall, and a higher rate of revision for infection specifically, when compared to non-obese patients,” Dr Wall said. “Morbidly obese patients also had a higher rate of revision for implant loosening.”

Obesity and Knee Replacement Surgery

Obesity, which is a known risk factor for developing knee osteoarthritis and necessitating knee replacement surgery, affects 31% of Australian adults.

Associate Professor Srinivas Kondalsamy-Chennakesavan, head of research at UQRCS, noted that a prior study by the research team revealed that 58% of patients in Australia who underwent a knee replacement were obese.

“Our previous work showed that the risk of undergoing a knee replacement for osteoarthritis is clearly related to a person’s body mass index,” Dr Kondalsamy-Chennakesavan said. “This study found that obese patients undergoing knee replacement have a higher risk of revision surgery than non-obese patients.”

The results, according to Dr. Wall, were alarming since they hinted at an increase in demand for revision knee replacement surgery.

“This carries a significant psychosocial cost to patients and a large economic cost to the healthcare system,” Dr. Wall said. “A population-level approach to address the increasing prevalence of obesity is urgently needed to reduce the burden of obesity-related knee osteoarthritis, primary knee replacement and revision knee replacement.”

Source: Medindia