Publication:

Pre-operative hypoalbuminemia: overlooked prior knee arthroplasty?

Background Role of preoperative serum albumin on primary total knee arthroplasty.

Methods A total of 1022 patients who underwent primary knee arthroplasty were collected. All patients were divided into the control group (preoperative serum albumin ≥3.5 g/dl) and case group (preoperative serum albumin <3.5 g/dl). The risk factors of preoperative hypoalbuminemia and the postoperative complications were analyzed.

Results Compared to controls, hypoalbuminemia patients were older (p<0.05 ), had higher risk for any complication such as delayed wound healing, pleural effusion, and pneumonia, lower BMI and longer hospital stay (p<0.001).

Conclusions Preoperative hypoalbuminemia is more frequent in patients who are older, have poor nutritional condition, and have more than two concurrent disorders. Hypoalbuminemia before surgery is linked to a higher risk of postoperative problems.