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Updated: Apr 13, 2026
Knee Arthrocentesis in Adults
Published on: February 25, 2022
Rheumatoid Arthritis Does Not Increase Risk of Short-term Adverse Events after Total Knee Arthroplasty: A
Zachary J LoVerde1, Lisa A Mandl1, Beverly K Johnson1
1From the Department of Internal Medicine, The Reading Hospital and Medical Center, Reading, Pennsylvania; Department of Rheumatology, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, and Research, Hospital for Special Surgery; Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Department of Rheumatology, Jacobi Medical Center; Weill Cornell College of Medicine, New York, New York; North Central Bronx Hospital, Bronx, New York, USA.Z.J. LoVerde, MD, PGY1 Resident, Internal Medicine, The Reading Hospital and Medical Center; L.A. Mandl, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Research Medicine, Assistant Professor of Public Health, Weill Cornell Medicine College, and Assistant Attending Physician, Rheumatology, Hospital for Special Surgery; B.K. Johnson, MD, MS, FACR, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Director of Rheumatology, Jacobi Medical Center and the North Central Bronx Hospital; M.P. Figgie, MD, Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Weill Cornell College of Medicine, and Attending Orthopedic Surgeon, and Chief of Surgical Arthritis Service, Hospital for Special Surgery; F. Boettner, MD, Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Weill Cornell College of Medicine, and Assistant Attending Orthopedic Surgeon, Hospital for Special Surgery; Y. Lee, MS, Biostatistician, Hospital for Special Surgery; S.M. Goodman, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine College, and Associate Attending Physician, Rheumatology, Hospital for Special Surgery.
Objective:
More adverse events (AE) are reported after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) than for patients with osteoarthritis (OA). This study evaluates 6-month postoperative AE in a high-volume center in a contemporary RA cohort.
Methods:
Patients with RA in an institutional registry (2007-2010) were studied. AE were identified by self-report and review of office and hospital charts. Subjects with RA were matched to 2 with OA by age, sex, and procedure. RA-specific surgical volume was determined. Baseline characteristics and AE were compared and analyzed.
Results:
There were 159 RA TKA and 318 OA. Of the patients with RA, 88.0% were women, 24.5% received corticosteroids, 41.5% received biologics, and 67% received nonbiologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD). There was no difference in comorbidities. RA-specific surgical volume was high; 64% of cases were performed by surgeons with ≥ 20 RA cases during the study period. Patients with RA had worse baseline pain and function and lower perceived health status (EQ-5D 0.59 vs 0.65, p < 0.01). There were no deep infections in either group and no difference in superficial infection (9.4% RA vs 10.1% OA, p = 0.82), myocardial infarction (0.7% RA vs 0% OA, p = 0.33), or thromboembolism (1.3% RA vs 0.6% OA, p = 0.60).
Conclusion:
In a high-volume center, with high RA-specific experience, RA does not increase postoperative AE. Despite worse preoperative function and high steroid and DMARD use, complications were not increased. However, further study to determine generalizability is needed.
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