Introduction:According to the World Health Organization data repository, the average life expectancy at birth for Singapore in 2015 has risen to 83.4 years, and many octogenarians (OG) remain active socioeconomically. The aim of this study is to compare the improvement and the impact of comorbidities on functional recovery after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) between OG and their younger counterparts.Methods:This is a retrospective study of prospectively collected data from a single institution arthroplasty register. Between January 2006 and December 2011, 209 OG with primary knee osteoarthritis underwent TKA. Each OG (mean age 82 ± 2.1) was then carefully matched to a younger control group (YG, mean age 66 ± 4.5). Their postoperative outcomes measured include Oxford Knee Score (OKS), SF36-Physical Function (SF-PF), and knee society rating score comprising of Knee Score (KS) and Function Score (FS). Their respective degrees of improvement were compared and adjusted for their baseline comorbidities, measured using the Deyo-Charlson Comorbidity Index (D-CCI).Results:There were more comorbidities among the OG (P < .05). Both groups saw the largest improvement (P < .05) during the first 6 months. There was no statistical significance between their improvement for OKS, KS, and FS between baseline and 6 months and OKS, FS, and SF-PF between 6 and 24 months. Adjusted for D-CCI using linear regression, the above results remained largely unchanged.Discussion:In our study, both groups showed significant improvement across all functional outcomes, especially during the first 6 months. The improvement observed in OG at 6 and 24 months was comparable to that of YG, despite an overall higher baseline D-CCI.Conclusions:Total knee arthroplasty is a viable treatment option for the OG, offering good functional outcomes and results at 6 and 24 months when compared to their younger counterparts.
Background: The use of risk stratification tools in identifying high-risk hip fracture patients plays an important role during treatment. The aim of this study was to compare our locally derived Combined Assessment of Risk Encountered in Surgery (CARES) score with the the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status (ASA-PS) score and the Deyo–Charlson Comorbidity Index (D-CCI) in predicting 2-year mortality after hip fracture surgery. Methods and Material: A retrospective study was conducted on surgically treated hip fracture patients in a large tertiary hospital from Jan 2013 through Dec 2015. Age, gender, time to surgery, ASA-PS score, D-CCI, and CARES score were obtained. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to assess statistical significance of scores and risk factors, and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) was used to compare ASA-PS, D-CCI, and CARES as predictors of mortality at 2 years. Results: 763 surgically treated hip fracture patients were included in this study. The 2-year mortality rate was 13.1% (n = 100), and the mean ± SD CARES score of surviving and demised patients was 21.2 ± 5.98 and 25.9 ± 5.59, respectively. Using AUC, CARES was shown to be a better predictor of 2-year mortality than ASA-PS, but we found no statistical difference between CARES and D-CCI. A CARES score of 23, attributable primarily to pre-surgical morbidities and poor health of the patient, was identified as the statistical threshold for “high” risk of 2-year mortality. Conclusion: The CARES score is a viable risk predictor for 2-year mortality following hip fracture surgery and is comparable to the D-CCI in predictive capability. Our results support the use of a simpler yet clinically relevant CARES in prognosticating mortality following hip fracture surgery, particularly when information on the pre-existing comorbidities of the patient is not immediately available.
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