Complications With Long Cemented Stems in Proximal Femoral Replacement

This study attempted to determine whether patients undergoing cemented long-stem proximal femoral replacement had: (1) an increased short-term mortality rate; (2) greater intraoperative hemodynamic instability; (3) a greater need for resuscitation; and (4) a decreased risk of periprosthetic fracture. The current study reviewed intraoperative and short-term events related to clinical outcomes in 24 consecutive patients who were treated at a single institution over a 5-year period. These patients underwent primary long-stem (≥250 mm, n=13) vs short-stem (<250 mm, n=11) cemented proximal femoral replacement. Other than stem length, the 2 groups were not significantly different in terms of patient age, sex, height, weight, body mass index, diagnosis, or preoperative American Society of Anesthesiologists functional score. Primary outcomes were intraoperative death, blood loss, blood transfusions, fluid resuscitation, hypotension, oxygen desaturation, mortality up to 1 year, and need for revision surgery. At 1 year, a significantly increased mortality rate (77% vs 27%, P=.03) was noted in patients receiving long-stem vs short-stem arthroplasty. Patients who received longer stems also required more intraoperative blood transfusions and fluid resuscitation (P=.04) for greater hypotension (P=.04) and oxygen desaturation (P=.04). Two intraoperative deaths occurred in the long-stem group, and none occurred in the short-stem group. The findings suggest that there is an increased risk of intraoperative hemodynamic instability with long-stem vs short-stem proximal femoral replacement, with a need for greater resuscitative efforts and an increased risk of mortality at 1 year. [Orthopedics. 2016; 39(3):e423-e429.].