Elective total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are effective options for the management of osteoarthritis that has not responded to conservative therapy, and they are increasing in utilization worldwide. Therefore, we sought to investigate how older age influences the outcomes of THA and TKA through a review of the current literature.
The Embase and MEDLINE databases were examined for relevant studies that assessed the role of older age in determining the outcomes of THA and TKA. All studies except for systematic reviews and case reports were considered for inclusion. Studies were excluded if they included data on procedures other than THA and TKA or if they focused on the effect of surgical techniques and rehabilitation programs rather than age. We excluded studies if they included data on total joint arthroplasty (TJA) performed for indications other than osteoarthritis unless osteoarthritis was the diagnosis for >90% of the patient cohort. Journal references were manually searched to identify any additional articles.
Thirty-two articles were identified in this review. The most elderly groups in these studies were shown to experience higher mortality rates, more postoperative complications, and a longer stay in the hospital. Perioperative mortality was reported to be between 2.6% and 2.9% for nonagenarians and 1.09% and 1.54% for octogenarians. The increase in length of stay for the elderly following TJA was reported to be 0.6 to 3.1 days. Despite the increased rate of adverse events, there were gains in terms of pain relief and ability to perform activities of daily living, and overall the most elderly groups were satisfied with the THA or TKA. However, there was considerable inconsistency among studies with respect to the methodology for evaluating health-related quality of life and the level of functional ability postoperatively.
Although TJA is considered an effective surgery for the elderly, clinicians should be aware that the elderly are at a higher risk of greater length of stay, complications, and mortality. However, the available literature contained poor data and heterogeneous patient cohorts, and reported on a wide variety of outcomes. Further research assessing the effect of older age on TJA is warranted.