Do psychiatric disorders affect patient reported outcomes and clinical outcomes post total hip and knee arthroplasty?

introductionThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of major psychiatric illness on patient outcomes after total joint arthroplasty.

methodsPatients with a diagnosis of a major psychiatric disorder undergoing total joint arthroplasty were retrospectively matched one-to-one with a cohort without such a diagnosis. Major psychiatric disorder in the registry was identified by diagnosis of anxiety, mood, or a psychotic disorder. Primary outcome of interest included perioperative Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Secondary outcomes included EuroQol-5D, adverse events, length of stay, 30-day readmission, and discharge destination.

resultsTotal number of patients were 1828. The total hip arthroplasty (37.80 ± 17.91, p = 0.023) and the total knee arthroplasty psychiatric group (43.38 ± 18.41, p = 0.050) had significantly lower pre-operative WOMAC scores. At 3 months, the total hip arthroplasty (76.74 ± 16.94, p = 0.036) and total knee arthroplasty psychiatric group (71.09 ± 18.64, p < 0.01) again had significantly lower 3-month post-operative WOMAC score compared to the control groups. However, outcomes at 1 year were difficult to interpret, as patients with major psychiatric conditions had an extremely high loss to follow-up. Compared to the control groups, the total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty psychiatric group had an increased length of stay by 1.43 days (p < 0.01) and 0.77 days, respectively (p = 0.05). Similarly, the psychiatric groups were discharged directly home less often (total hip arthroplasty 86.9%, p = 0.024 and total knee arthroplasty 87.6%, p = 0.022) than the control groups.

conclusionPatients with the diagnosis of a major psychiatric illness have an increased length of stay and are more likely to require a rehabilitation facility, compared to the control groups. Arguably, of utmost importance, there is a very high rate of loss to follow-up within the psychiatric groups. As such, we recommend these patients should be treated for their diagnosis prior to total joint arthroplasty. Furthermore, importance of clinical follow-up should be emphasized carefully.