What Is the Impact of Smoking on Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty?

There is a paucity of literature evaluating the impact of smoking on revision arthroplasty procedures. The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of smoking on complications after revision total knee arthroplasty (rTKA).

We queried the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database to identify patients who underwent rTKA between 2006 and 2014. Patients were divided into current smokers and nonsmokers according to the NSQIP definitions. Each cohort was compared in terms of demographic data, preoperative comorbidities, and operative time. Infection end points were created from composite surgical site infection variables defined by the NSQIP database. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was utilized to adjust for confounding variables and calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and associated 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs).

In total, 8776 patients underwent rTKA. Of these patients, 11.6% were current smokers. Univariate analyses demonstrated that smokers had a higher rate of any wound complication (3.8% vs 1.8%, P < .0001), deep infection (2.5% vs 1.0%, P < .0001), pneumonia (1.3% vs 0.4%, P < .0001), and reoperation (5.0% vs 3.1%, P = .001) compared to nonsmokers undergoing revision total knee arthroplasty. Multivariate analysis identified current smokers as being at a significantly increased risk of any wound complication (OR 2.1; 95% CI 1.4-3.1) and deep infection (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2-3.6) after rTKA.

This study demonstrates that smoking significantly increases the risk of infection, wound complications, and reoperation after rTKA. The results are even more magnified for revision procedures compared to published effects of smoking on primary total knee arthroplasty complications. Further research is needed regarding the impact of smoking cessation on mitigation of these observed risks.