High preoperative blood sugar may increase risk of periprosthetic joint infection after THA

The study led to the following findings:

· 90,830 patients who underwent THA and had a recorded preoperative BGL were identified.

· The preoperative BGL associated with 1.5 times greater odds of PJI was 277 mg/dL in patients with diabetes and 193 mg/dL in patients without diabetes.

· Compared with the normal preoperative BGL cohort, those with high preoperative BGL had increased odds of PJI (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 2.60 for patients with diabetes and 1.66 for patients without diabetes) and 90-day readmissions (adjusted OR, 1.92 for patients with diabetes and 1.66 for patients without diabetes).

"The findings showed that an increased preoperative BGL was associated with an increased PJI risk following primary THA," the researchers wrote.

"Surgeons should be aware of patients with diabetes and a preoperative BGL of >277 mg/dL and patients without diabetes but with a preoperative BGL of >193 mg/dL," they concluded.

Reference:

Wier, Julian MD1; Liu, Kevin C. BS1; Richardson, Mary K. BS1; Gettleman, Brandon S. BS2; Kistler, Natalie M. BS1; Heckmann, Nathanael D. MD1,a; Lieberman, Jay R. MD1. Higher Blood Glucose Levels on the Day of Surgery Are Associated with an Increased Risk of Periprosthetic Joint Infection After Total Hip Arthroplasty. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery ():10.2106/JBJS.23.00546, December 21, 2023. | DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.23.00546