ArticleAnnals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England2021
Routine postoperative laboratory tests are not required in patients undergoing elective total shoulder arthroplasty.
Article in Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.
- Risk factors for postoperative anemia and blood transfusion in primary anatomic and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty.JSES international · 2026Article
- Postoperative laboratory testing in the era of outpatient total joint arthroplasty: Targeted patient selection and associated cost savings.Journal of orthopaedics · 2025Review
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRoutine blood tests following total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) cost the British national health system over £65,000 in 2018 without definite evidence of their impact on patients' outcomes. This study aimed to ascertain whether routine laboratory tests are necessary after elective TSA.
methodsA retrospective review of electronic records was completed for 274 patients that underwent TSA in the past six years. In total, 216 patients were eligible for analysis. The primary outcome was intervention rate for abnormal postoperative blood tests. Secondary outcomes were hospital length of stay (LOS), and readmissions at 30 and 90 days.
resultsIn total, 193 patients underwent 216 TSAs; 72% were female, and the mean cohort age was 78 ± 7.2 years. Overall, 136 patients (63%) had an abnormal postoperative blood test, however; only 8 (3.7%) required intervention. The average postoperative drop in haemoglobin (Hb) was 19g/l. In four patients (1.8%) Hb levels dropped to < 80g/l; however, only two (0.9%) were symptomatic and received a red blood cell transfusion. Six patients (2.8%) developed acute kidney injury and did not require haemofiltration. The mean LOS was 3.2 ± 2.9 days. Five patients (2.3%) were readmitted within 30 days and six patients (2.8%) within 90 days. Univariate analysis only showed association between patients with abnormal creatinine and LOS (
conclusionsRoutine postoperative blood tests are not required as they did not change the clinical outcome in this cohort or the readmission rate, causing unnecessary costs. It is recommended to request postoperative blood tests for patients with raised preoperative creatinine levels.
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