Perioperative Management of Antirheumatic Medications and Their Effects on Wound Healing in Orthopaedic Surgery

Orthopaedic surgeons frequently treat patients on antirheumatic medications for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, lupus, and other inflammatory conditions. When these patients require surgery, surgeons face competing therapeutic priorities: continuing medications risks impaired wound healing and infection, whereas discontinuing them may trigger disease flares and functional decline. Management decisions are further complicated by inconsistent guidelines and limited data on newer biological therapies. Antirheumatic medications disrupt wound healing at multiple stages,some affect early inflammatory responses, whereas others interfere with collagen remodeling. These wound healing disruptions are especially concerning in high-risk patients, such as those with cancer, where complications can derail overall treatment plans. Current knowledge is largely limited to joint arthroplasty in rheumatoid arthritis patients, leaving notable gaps for other procedures and newer medications. This review addresses these gaps by providing evidence-based guidance for medication timing, dosing adjustments, and monitoring strategies, emphasizing multidisciplinary approaches to optimize surgical outcomes.