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Updated: Jun 23, 2026
Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty
Published on: July 5, 2011
Low preoperative hematocrit adversely affects short-term outcomes after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair
Noah Kim1, Kenny Ling2, Katherine Wang1
1Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
Background:
The purpose of this study was to investigate preoperative anemia as a risk factor for postoperative complications after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR).
Methods:
Adult patients who underwent ARCR from 2015-2020 were identified in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Patients were grouped according to the following preoperative hematocrit levels: normal (male >39%, female >36%), mild anemia (male 33%-39%, female 33%-36%), and moderate to severe anemia (male and female ≤33%). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify significant differences in 30-day postoperative complication rates.
Results:
Of the 21,836 patients identified, 19,726 (90.3%) patients had normal preoperative hematocrit, 1731 (7.9%) were mildly anemic, and 379 (1.7%) were moderate to severely anemic. After adjusting for significantly associated demographics and comorbidities, mild anemia was a significant predictor of any complication (odds ratio [OR] 1.436, P = .007), cardiac complications (OR 4.891, P = .002) sepsis-related complications (OR 4.760, P = .004), readmission (OR 1.585, P = .014), and nonhome discharge (OR 1.839, P = .006). Moderate to severe anemia was a significant predictor of any complication (OR 2.471, P < .001), readmission (OR 3.002, P < .001), and nonhome discharge (OR 3.211, P < .001).
Conclusion:
Preoperative anemia is a significant risk factor for postoperative complications within 30 days of ARCR.
