Purpose of review: It is well established that certain patient-specific risk factors affect outcomes following total joint arthroplasty. The goal of this paper is to summarize the latest data on several variables that have been investigated in the last 3 years and to characterize the effects these factors have on the success of hip and knee replacement.
Recent findings: Preoperative diagnoses of depression and anxiety, liver disease, hypoalbuminemia, vitamin D deficiency, and diabetes mellitus are associated with increased risk of postoperative complications and can lead to worse outcomes after joint replacement surgery. Recent investigations have clearly established a link between these patient-specific factors and poor outcomes after hip and knee arthroplasty, but future research is needed to determine best practices for stratifying and mitigating these risks for patients.
Keywords: Depression; Diabetes mellitus; Hypoalbuminemia; Liver disease; Total joint arthroplasty; Vitamin D deficiency.