Presence of medical comorbidities in patients with infected primary hip or knee arthroplasties.

Many older patients undergoing primary hip or knee joint arthroplasty surgery have multiple medical problems. In this retrospective case-control study, the authors examined the individual and cumulative effects of various types of medical comorbidities on the risk of developing prosthetic joint infection after surgery. Case and control patients were matched by age, sex, and procedure. Analysis was undertaken using crude odds ratios (ORs) and multiple logistic regression analysis. Fifty-one patients with 52 joint infections were identified. Both diabetes mellitus (OR, 3.91; P = .04) and total number of medical conditions (OR, 1.35; P = .005) were associated with higher risk of infection. This information allows the orthopedic surgeon to inform patients more fully regarding the risks of surgery, and promotes the reduction and optimization of medical comorbidities before surgery.