Complications after high tibial osteotomy and distal femoral osteotomy are associated with increasing medical comorbidities and tobacco use.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess complications, reoperations, and their risk factors at 90 days and 2 years after high tibial osteotomy (HTO) and distal femoral osteotomy (DFO) in a national cohort.

METHODS

The PearlDiver Mariner Dataset was queried using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for HTO and DFO, complications, and subsequent surgery. Minimum follow-up was 2 years and complications were assessed at 90 days and 2 years. Hospital readmission in the first 90 days was also assessed. Univariate and multiple logistic regression were utilized to identify risk factors for complications and re-operation.

RESULTS

The 90-day and 2-year complication rates after HTO (n = 1780) were 11.6% and 31.7%, compared to 21.5% (p < 0.0001) and 41.5% (p = 0.0001) after DFO (n = 446). Infection was the most frequent early (90-day) complication for both HTO and DFO cohorts, while hardware problems were most common at 2 years. Increasing Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI) was associated with increased odds of infection, readmission, and hardware-associated complications in both cohorts. Gender and tobacco use were also associated with various complications after HTO. At 2 years, 23.7% of HTO patients and 26.2% of DFO patients had undergone subsequent surgery. Hardware removal occurred in 16.4% of HTO and 18.4% of DFO patients (n.s.), while 4.5% of HTO and 5.2% of DFO patients underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA) within 2 years (n.s.).

CONCLUSION

HTO and DFO have substantial complication rates in the short and mid term, with a higher rate of overall complications observed after DFO as compared to the HTO cohort. After both procedures, roughly one quarter of patients will undergo subsequent surgery within 2 years. Patients with tobacco use and numerous medical co-morbidities may not be optimal candidates due to increased complication rates. Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI) may be an useful tool for risk assessment prior to surgery.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Retrospective cohort study, III.