Total Hip Arthroplasty in Nonagenarians – A National In-Patient Sample-Based Study of Perioperative Complications

Background: Nonagenarians are a rapidly expanding population in the United States. These patients are met with increasing rates of hip arthritis, necessitating the need for total hip arthroplasty (THA). However, there is currently limited information on hospitalization information and perioperative complications in this population. Methods: In this retrospective study, we used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2016-2019 to analyze the incidence of perioperative complications, length of stay (LOS), and the cost of care (COC) among patients undergoing THAs who were categorized as nonagenarians, and those who were not. Results: The NIS database identified 309 100 patients who underwent THAs from 2016-2019. Of those, 1864 patients (.6%) were nonagenarian, while the remaining 307 236 patients were included under the non-nonagenarian category (control). The mean age in the nonagenarian group was 90 years compared to the control group which had a mean age of 65.8 years. There was an increased incidence of mortality rate (nonagenarian group.2%, control group.03%, P <.001), myocardial infarction (MI) (nonagenarian group.1%, control group.02%, P =.01), acute renal failure (ARF) (nonagenarian group 5.4%, control group 1.6%, P <.001), blood anemia post-operatively (nonagenarian group 28.9%, control group 17.2%, P <.001), and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) (nonagenarian group.48%, control group.07%, P <.001) in the nonagenarian group. The COC for the nonagenarian group was higher than that in the control group (P <.001). The mean LOS was longer in the nonagenarian group (3.1 days) in comparison to the control group (1.96 days) (P <.001). Conclusions: Nonagenarians had significantly higher rates of both orthopedics and medical complications than the younger patients undergoing THAs. In addition, the nonagenarian group incurred higher COC. This information is useful for the providers to make informed decisions regarding patient care and resource utilization for nonagenarian patients undergoing THAs.