Does Aseptic Revision Risk Differ for Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty Patients Who Have and Do not Have a Prior Primary or Revision Arthroplasty?

Background: We sought to evaluate the risk of aseptic revision in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients who have and do not have a history of primary or revision arthroplasty of a different major joint. Methods: We conducted a matched cohort study using data from Kaiser Permanente's arthroplasty registries. Patients who underwent primary unilateral TKA (index knee) were identified (2009-2018). Two matches based on exposure history were performed: (1) 33,714 TKAs with a history of primary arthroplasty of a different joint (contralateral knee, either hip, and/or either shoulder) were matched to 67,121 TKAs without an arthroplasty history and (2) 597 TKAs with a history of aseptic revision in a different joint were matched to 1,190 TKAs with a history of a prior arthroplasty in a different joint, but without any revision. After the matches were performed, Cox regressions were used to evaluate aseptic revision risk of the index knee using the no history groups as the reference in regression models. Results: No difference in aseptic revision risk for the index knee was observed when comparing patients who had a prior primary arthroplasty in a different joint to those who did not have an arthroplasty history (hazard ratio = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.86-1.06). Those patients who did not have any prior aseptic revision history in a different joint had higher risk of aseptic revision in the index knee (hazard ratio = 2.06, 95% CI = 1.17-3.63). Conclusion: Patients who had a prior revision history had over a 2-fold higher risk of aseptic revision in the index knee, warranting close surveillance of these patients. Level of Evidence: Level III.(c) 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study aimed to assess the risk of aseptic revision in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients with and without a history of primary or revision arthroplasty of a different major joint. A matched cohort study was conducted using data from Kaiser Permanente's arthroplasty registries. The results showed that patients without a history of prior aseptic revision in a different joint had a higher risk of aseptic revision in the index knee, while no difference in aseptic revision risk was observed for patients with a history of primary arthroplasty in a different joint. Patients with a history of revision had over a 2-fold higher risk of aseptic revision in the index knee, emphasizing the need for close surveillance of these patients.