CORR Insights^®: Low Albumin Levels, More Than Morbid Obesity, Are Associated With Complications After TKA

Excerpt

The current study by Nelson and colleagues tries to bring greater clarity to the debate as to whether morbid obesity and malnutrition actually increase the risk of mortality and major complications following elective, primary TKA. These topics are important. As our healthcare system shifts to a quality-based model, providers must accept responsibility for rates of complications, poor outcomes, and total cost per episode of care. Since TKA is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedure in the United States, it is the procedure garnering the most interest. Although the quality indicators that will be used to judge outcomes after TKA are still being developed, it is clear that complications that prolong length of stay and require readmission, reoperation, and even transfer to a rehab or skilled nursing facility, must be avoided because they add substantially to the total cost per episode of care. …