Complications of hip and knee joint replacement in solid-organ transplant patients

This study investigated complication rates for 68 solid-organ transplant patients who had undergone 94 primary hip or knee joint replacements at a single institution from 1995 to 2008. There was a deep infection rate of 6.8% in the transplant patients compared to a 1.9% deep infection rate for all primary joint replacement patients at the Medical University of South Carolina over the same time period (odds ratio 4.48). All four infections in the transplant group occurred in diabetic patients. The joint revision rate for transplant patients was 13% (deep infection 6.8%, aseptic loosening 5.1%, instability 1.7%). Other complications included superficial infections (5.1%), deep venous thromboses (3.4%), and a nonfatal pulmonary embolus (1.7%). The deep infection rate for joint replacement in solid-organ transplant patients was higher than rates reported by most similar studies, and diabetic patients may be at particular risk.