Do patients lose weight after total knee replacement?

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Biomedical engineering
• Clinical outcomes

Background:

• Patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) often experience weight maintenance or gain post-procedure.
• Increased body mass index (BMI) post-TKA can lead to accelerated prosthesis wear and revision surgeries.
• Understanding the impact of TKA on patient BMI is crucial for long-term implant survival.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) on the body mass index (BMI) of patients.
• To determine if TKA surgery leads to a significant reduction in patient BMI.
• To assess the relationship between TKA and weight management in orthopedic patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 91 patients undergoing TKA between August 2011 and July 2013.
• Patients stratified into normal weight (BMI 20-25), overweight (BMI 25-30), and obese (BMI >30) categories.
• Re-evaluation of BMI at a minimum of 18 months post-surgery.

Main Results:

• Mean preoperative BMI was 27.24 kg/m², with most patients classified as overweight (65) or obese (9).
• Postoperative analysis revealed weight loss in 46% and weight gain in 54% of patients.
• The mean postoperative BMI slightly decreased by 0.08 kg/m² to 27.16 kg/m².

Conclusions:

• Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgery does not result in a significant reduction in patient body mass index (BMI).
• Weight management remains a critical consideration for patients following TKA to optimize long-term outcomes.
• Further research is needed to explore interventions for weight control in TKA recipients.