Does Prior Bariatric Surgery Improve Outcomes Following Total Joint Arthroplasty in the Morbidly Obese? A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: There remains a controversy regarding the risks in subsequent total joint arthroplasty (TJA) with and without previous bariatric surgery (BS). We performed a meta-analysis based on the current evidence-based study to determine the influences of prior BS on the short-term and long-term outcomes following TJA.

METHODS: From the inception to July 2018, the EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library electronic databases were searched for all relevant English language trials. The primary outcome measures were complications and revision, whereas the secondary outcomes included length of stay and operative time. Short-term follow-up was defined as that from hospital discharge to 90 days, and long-term follow-up was defined as more than 1 year.

RESULTS: A total of 9 studies with 38,728 patients were included. Overall, medical comorbidities were higher in the BS group compared with the control morbid obesity group before TJA. Our meta-analysis revealed that BS prior to TJA was associated with reduced short-term medical complications, length of stay, and operative time. However, BS did not reduce the short-term risks for superficial wound infection or venous thromboembolism, and the long-term risks for dislocation, periprosthetic infection, periprosthetic fracture, and revision. Subgroup analysis identified a significant reduction in the risk of short-term periprosthetic infection in the BS group after total knee arthroplasty, but not after total hip arthroplasty.

CONCLUSION: BS prior to TJA was associated with partially improved short-term outcomes after TJA. However, BS did not improve the risks for long-term outcomes. Limited by relatively higher comorbidities burden, the short-term benefits of BS should be further revealed by high-quality, controlled study in the future.