Impact of bariatric surgery before joint replacement

Editor's Note

Bariatric surgery performed before hip or knee replacement can reduce in-hospital and 90-day postoperative complications, finds this study presented March 14 at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons annual meeting in San Diego.

Compared with morbidly obese patients who did not have bariatric surgery before joint replacement, those who did had lower rates of in-hospital complications after total hips (1.5% vs 5.3%) and total knees (2.7% vs 3.9%).

The risk for 90-day postoperative complications also was lower in patients who had bariatric surgery−14% lower in the total hip group and 61% lower in the total knee group.

Bariatric surgery did not lower the risk of revision surgery or hip dislocation.

San Diego, CA- March 14, 2017 A new study demonstrates that in morbidly obese patients, bariatric surgery performed prior to a total hip or knee replacement can reduce in-hospital and 90-day postoperative complications and improve patient health, but it does not reduce the risk of needing a revision surgery.