Using American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data, researchers identified 49,603 patients who underwent elective, primary total joint arthroplasty. Patients with preoperative hypoalbuminemia were compared with patients who had a normal serum albumin concentration preoperatively. Patients were prospectively followed for the first 30 days postoperatively to determine hospital length of stay, readmission to any hospital and development of complications.
Here are four points:
1. Results showed the prevalence of hypoalbuminemia was 4 percent.
2. Compared with patients who had a normal serum albumin concentration, patients with hypoalbuminemia had an adjusted risk ratio of 1.5 for developing complications.
3. Investigators also noted patients with preoperative hypoalbuminemia had higher rates for surgical site infection (2.29 percent versus 0.96 percent) and pneumonia (1.27 percent versus 0.30 percent) compared with patients with normal serum albumin concentration.
4. Patients with hypoalbuminemia had a longer mean postoperative length of stay (3.52 days ersus 3.10 days) and had a higher rate of unplanned hospital readmissions (6.3 percent versus 3.5 percent).
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