Thirty-day morbidity and mortality following primary total elbow arthroplasty in octogenarians

Octogenarians are at an increased risk of morbidity and mortality following various orthopaedic procedures, but this has not been explored among total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) patients. Thus, this study analyzed whether octogenarians undergoing TEA are at an increased risk of postoperative complications relative to the younger geriatric population.

A national database was queried to identify TEA patients. Patients were stratified into an aged 65 to 79 cohort and an aged 80 to 89 cohort. Demographics, comorbidities, and complications were assessed, with the use of bivariate and multivariate analyzes.

In total, 390 patients underwent TEA, with 289 (74.1%) between the ages of 65 to 79 and 101 (25.9%) between the ages of 80 to 89. On bivariate analyzes, patients aged 80 to 89 were more likely to undergo postoperative transfusion (p = 0.001) compared to those aged 65 to 79. Following adjustment on multivariate analyzes, the aged 80 to 89 cohort no longer had an increased risk of postoperative transfusion. There were no differences in mortality, readmission, and reoperation between the two groups.

Age greater than 80 should not be used as an independent factor when evaluating whether a geriatric patient is an appropriate candidate for TEA.