Serum Fructosamine as an Indicator of Perioperative Complications in Patients Undergoing Foot and Ankle Surgery

Patients with poor glycemic control are at increased risk of postoperative complications. Hemoglobin A_1c (HbA_1c) has traditionally been used to assess preoperative glycemic control, but with limitations. More recently, fructosamine has been tested preoperatively in patients undergoing elective total joint arthroplasty. This study aims to assess whether preoperative serum fructosamine can be used to avoid adverse outcomes in patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery.

This was a retrospective chart review of all patients who underwent foot and ankle surgeries at 2 level 1 trauma centers from January 2020 to December 2021. Of those, 305 patients were tested for HbA_1c and fructosamine levels preoperatively. Adverse outcomes were assessed over 30 and 90 days. Outcomes of interest were surgical site infection, wound dehiscence, unplanned return to the operating room, unplanned readmission, and death. Data were analyzed using independent 2-sample t tests. A mixed effects model was used for multivariate analysis. P values less than .05 were considered statistically significant.

Preoperative serum fructosamine was significantly higher (P = .029) in those with complications within 90 days compared to those without. The mean preoperative fructosamine level was 269.2 µmol/L (SD = 58.85) in those who did have a complication vs 247.2 µmol/L (SD = 53.95) in those who did not. Clinically significant fructosamine threshold was determined using 2 different methods. Fructosamine was found to be non-inferior to HbA_1c in accurately predicting postoperative complications.

Fructosamine is a serum marker that reflects nearer term glycemic control than HbA_1c. Elevation in preoperative fructosamine is associated with increased perioperative complications after foot and ankle surgery within 90 days. Preoperative fructosamine may be used in patient optimization and risk stratification when determining candidacy and timing for elective foot and ankle surgeries.

Level III, retrospective cohort study.