Matched cohort analysis of peri-operative outcomes following total knee arthroplasty in patients with and without Parkinson's disease

Background: Increased complication rate has been reported in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, this has not previously been studied on a national scale. The purpose of this study was to determine whether PD patients had increased cost, complication, mortality, and length of stay following TKA using a national database.

Methods: The HCUP Nationwide Inpatient Sample was evaluated for the years 2000 to 2012. PD patients were matched 1:10 with non-PD control patients for age, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and year of admission utilizing a propensity score matching procedure. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to determine the relationship between PD and surgical outcomes in the matched cohort.

Results: Before matching, TKA patients with PD were significantly older (p < 0.0001), more frequently male (p < 0.0001), and had a greater CCI (p = 0.3058). In the matched cohort, PD was associated with significantly increased length of stay (3.92 vs 3.71 days, p < 0.0001) and total hospital charges ($41,523.52 vs $40,657.00, p = 0.0037). There was no significant difference in in-hospital complication rate (8.28% vs 8.04%, p = 0.4297) or in-hospital mortality (0.164% vs 0.150%, p = 0.8465) between PD patients and matched non-PD patients.

Conclusions: Matched cohort analysis demonstrated statistically significant but clinically minor increases in length and cost of hospitalization for TKA in PD patients. Complication rate and in-hospital mortality rate was not higher in PD patients, suggesting that this group may be safely considered for TKA.

Level of evidence: Prognostic - Level III.