Preoperative Glycemic Control on Total Joint Arthroplasty Patient Perceived Outcomes and Hospital Costs

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of preoperative glycemic control in diabetic patients undergoing a primary total hip or knee arthroplasty. We wanted to study patient perceived outcomes in the medium term, the length of stay, hospital costs, and rate of short term postoperative complications. Methods One hundred and twenty consecutive primary TJAs performed in type 2 diabetic patients were stratified into two groups representing optimal and suboptimal preoperative glycemic control, based on serum levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c ), and those groups compared. Results The mean follow-up time was 5.9 years (range 2.1 – 10.7 years). Both groups demonstrated improvement in all patient perceived outcome measures after TJA, with no significant difference detected in any change of a measure between the groups. No significant difference was detected in the length of stay, hospital costs, or rate of short term postoperative complications between the groups. Conclusion Preoperative diabetic control in type 2 diabetic patients undergoing TJA did not affect patient perceived outcomes in the medium term. Optimal versus suboptimal glycemic control in these patients also had no effect on the length of stay, hospital costs, or rate of short term postoperative complications.