Aims The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the severity of anaemia on postoperative complications following total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the American College of Surgeons National Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database. All patients who underwent primary TKA or THA between January 2012 and December 2017 were identified and stratified based upon hematocrit level. In this analysis, we defined anaemia as packed cell volume (Hct) < 36% for women and < 39% for men, and further stratified anaemia as mild anaemia (Hct 33% to 36% for women, Hct 33% to 39% for men), and moderate to severe (Hct < 33% for both men and women). Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the incidence of multiple adverse events within 30 days of arthroplasty. Results Following adjustment, patients in the THA cohort with moderate to severe anaemia had an increased odds of 6.194 (95% confidence interval (CI) 5.679 to 6.756; p < 0.001) for developing any postoperative complication. Following adjustment, patients in the TKA cohort with moderate to severe anaemia had an increased odds of 5.186 (95% CI 4.811 to 5.590; p < 0.001) for developing any postoperative complication. Among both cohorts, as severity increased, there was an increased risk of postoperative complications. Conclusion Preoperative anaemia is a risk factor for complications following primary arthroplasty. There is a significant relationship between the severity of anaemia and the odds of postoperative complications. Patients who had moderate to severe anaemia were at increased risk of developing postoperative complications relative to patients with mild anaemia. When considering elective primary THA or TKA in a moderately or severely anaemic patient, surgeons should strongly consider correcting anaemia prior to surgery if possible. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2020;102-B(4):485–494.

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Introduction: Revision total hip arthroplasty (rTHA) is becoming a more common procedure due to the increasing volume of primary total hip arthroplasty. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is currently projected to affect 4.4% of the global population by 2030. Diabetes has been associated with poor outcomes for a variety of surgical interventions. However, the impact of insulin dependence has yet to be fully understood. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of insulin dependence on acute postoperative complications following rTHA. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the American College of Surgeons National Quality Improvement Program database. All patients who underwent rTHA between 2006 and 2016 were identified and recorded as having non-insulin-dependent DM (NIDDM), insulin-dependent DM (IDDM) or no DM. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to evaluate the incidence of multiple adverse events within 30 days after rTHA. Results: A total of 7685 patients were evaluated (No DM = 6651, NIDDM = 700, IDDM = 334). Univariate analysis revealed that all patients with DM had significantly higher incidences of postoperative complications (NIDDM: p < 0.001; IDDM: p < 0.001) and extended hospital length of stay (NIDDM: p = 0.015; IDDM: p < 0.0001). NIDDM was associated with increased rates of superficial surgical site infection (SSI) ( p = 0.001), deep SSI ( p = 0.038), and stroke ( p = 0.013), while IDDM was associated with increased rates of pneumonia ( p < 0.001), renal failure ( p < 0.001), and postoperative transfusion ( p < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, insulin-dependence was determined to be an independent risk factor for extended hospital length of stay (OR 1.905; 95% CI, 1.410–2.577; p < 0.001), pneumonia (OR 4.016; 95% CI, 1.799–8.929; p = 0.001), renal failure (OR 7.143; 95% CI, 2.203–23.256; p = 0.001) and postoperative transfusion (OR 1.366; 95% CI, 1.076–1.733; p = 0.01). Conclusions: Insulin dependence is an independent risk factor for numerous short-term postoperative complications following rTHA. When assessing risk and planning perioperative management, surgeons should consider insulin-dependent diabetics as a sub-cohort within the diabetic population.