Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026
Knee Arthrocentesis in Adults
Published on: February 25, 2022
Rheumatoid arthritis vs osteoarthritis in patients receiving total knee arthroplasty: perioperative outcomes
Ottokar Stundner1, Thomas Danninger1, Ya-Lin Chiu2
1Department of Anesthesiology, Hospital for Special Surgery, Weill Medical, College of Cornell University, New York, New York; Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine and Intensive Care Medicine, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
Abstract:
There is a paucity of data available on perioperative outcomes of patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We determined differences in demographics and risk for perioperative adverse events between patients suffering from osteoarthritis (OA) versus RA using a population-based approach. Of 351,103 entries for patients who underwent TKA, 3.4% had a diagnosis of RA. RA patients were on average younger [RA: 64.3 years vs OA: 66.6 years; P<0.001] and more likely female [RA: 79.2% vs OA: 63.2%; P<0. 001]. The unadjusted rates of mortality and most major perioperative adverse events were similar in both groups, with the exception of infection [RA: 4.5% vs. OA: 3.8%; P<0.001]. RA was not associated with increased adjusted odds for combined adverse events.
