Postoperative morbidity and mortality following total knee arthroplasty with computer navigation

The incidence of postoperative complications following computer navigated total knee arthroplasty is unknown. There is no published evidence to support decreased morbidity compared to standard conventional technique. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample database was used to identify 101,596 patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty in 2005. Of these patients, 1156 were coded as having a computer-assisted procedure. Bivariate analysis and regression modeling were used to compare postoperative in-hospital outcomes between the computer-assisted and non-navigated cohorts. We found no differences in postoperative mortality or complications for the majority of our measured outcomes. Under multivariate regression analysis, computer navigation was associated with a lower rate of postoperative cardiac complications (odds ratio 0.40, p=0.042), a shorter length of stay, and a trend towards fewer hematomas. Further clinical study is required to examine the possible association of computer navigation with postoperative morbidity following knee arthroplasty.