Effect of postoperative anemia on functional outcome and quality of life after hip and knee arthroplasties: a long term follow-up

Introduction

Immediate postoperative anemia is common in patients who undergo a major hip or knee arthroplasty¹. Consequently, clinicians have to decide whether or not a patient should receive a transfusion to counter postoperative anemia that may affect recovery. However, opinions are divided regarding the true need for, and benefit of, transfusions after major orthopedic surgeries. Several studies have suggested that the risk of postoperative morbidity is higher in patients with cardiovascular disease or those with a major illness and anemia after surgery^2,3. These results prompted physicians to adopt a more liberal transfusion strategy by regularly transfusing patients to hemoglobin (Hb) concentrations higher than 100 g/L⁴.

In contrast, a more conservative transfusion strategy is chosen by many clinicians, including those of the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM)⁵, due to the fact that patients are subject to frequent microcirculatory or immunosuppressive complications after a blood transfusion⁴. Furthermore, the risk of blood-transmitted pathogens (known and unknown) and the limited availability of blood products renders the liberal approach less attractive. A restrictive approach intended to limit transfusions only to patients with an Hb level lower than 70 g/L is, at the moment, favored considering these potential risks associated with blood transfusions⁵. An important randomized study including 838 intensive care patients showed that the use of a transfusion threshold of 70 g/L (with the aim of keeping the concentration of Hb between 70 and 90 g/L) was at least as safe as the use of a liberal strategy with a transfusion threshold of 100 g/L⁴. The 30 day postoperative death rate and the rates of cardiovascular complications and organ dysfunction were not significantly different with a restrictive strategy (and were even significantly lower in some subgroups), suggesting that patients who undergo surgery are able to tolerate Hb levels much lower than those previously admitted. According to these results, it seems that the use of a restrictive transfusion strategy does not affect mortality or morbidity in the immediate postoperative period (30 days after surgery). In addition, as described in the meta-analysis by Alvarez et al 2001, many studies have shown that the human body can adapt to lower [Hb] by increasing cardiac output and oxygen extraction along with a decrease in blood viscosity⁶. These adaptive changes could explain the similar results observed when using restrictive and liberal transfusion strategies.

The results of the recent Transfusion Requirements in Orthopedic Surgery (TRIOS) phase 2 trial also support a restrictive transfusion strategy⁷. They suggest, contrary to our initial hypothesis, that anemia does not affect functional recovery and quality of life (QoL) in patients immediately (1 to 10 days) after their surgery. Here we ask whether the lack of effects of anemia observed in our patients during the immediate postoperative period persists in the long-term period (6 months or more after surgery).

The objective of the present study was to establish the relationship between the postoperative Hb concentration, and functional recovery and QoL in the long-term after a major arthroplasty. Should there be a relationship between anemia and these two outcomes, we would be able to determine a minimal Hb level below which long-term functional recovery and QoL is affected. Should it exist, this threshold could help clinicians and patients decide between a liberal or a restrictive transfusion strategy after major orthopedic surgery.

We hypothesized that patients with a lower postoperative Hb concentration have a diminished functional recovery and QoL in the long-term after surgery, compared to those who have higher postoperative Hb concentration.

Materials and methods

Results

From February to March 2011, the 305 patients who participated in the TRIOS phase 2 were asked to contact a member of the research team (ACL) to complete FSI and SF-36 questionnaires. Among those 305 patients, 184 were available and accepted to take part in the study at the moment of the phone call but 24 of them were excluded because they had had another surgery since their original operation. As a result, the information of 160 patients was considered.

Table 1 presents the main demographic characteristics of the 160 patients who participated in the follow-up study. The average age of the patients was 72.4 years (range 60 – 91) and 64% of them were women. The average patient’s body mass index (BMI) was 30.5 kg/m² (range 16.2 – 51.5) and the average (range 1 – 3) American Society of Anesthesiologists’ (ASA) physical status score was 2 (patients with a systemic pathology that does not limit his/her activities) in the majority of patients (61.3%). Eighty-two patients underwent a total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and 78 underwent a total hip arthroplasty (THA).

Table 2 shows average preoperative and postoperative (1 to 10 days after surgery – average 4.6 days) Hb concentrations, average FSI and SF-36 scores and the number of patients who had major complications after surgery. There was a 36.2 g/L difference between mean preoperative and postoperative Hb concentrations. The average postoperative Hb concentration (97.6 ± 12.0 g/L) was below the threshold for anemia as defined by the World Health Organization (120 g/L in women and 130 g/L in men). The percentage of patients who had adverse events of any type (cardiovascular, respiratory or neurological adverse events, major infections and non-specific symptoms of anemia - dizziness, weakness and fatigue) was low, ranging between 1.9 to 8.1%.

Table 3 presents the relationship between the postoperative Hb concentration and each patient’s long-term primary outcome scores. There were no significant associations between postoperative [Hb] and FSI, PCS or MCS. Preoperative Hb concentrations (p = 0.0000) were associated with postoperative [Hb]. Postoperative [Hb] tended to be (but were not significantly) associated with cardiovascular complications (p = 0.0771) and female gender (p = 0.0752). There was no significant association between postoperative Hb concentrations and patients’ other characteristics. The relationships between postoperative [Hb] and FSI and PCS or MCS components of the SF-36 are shown on a scatter plot in Figure 1.

Figure 1.

Scatter plots of FSI (A), PCS (B) and MCS (C) scores according to postoperative [Hb]. FSI = Functional Status Index; PCS = Physical Component Summary score; MCS = Mental Component Summary score; HbPost = Postoperative Hb. The lines represent local polynomial regression fitting.

As shown in Figure 1, there was no statistically significant association between postoperative [Hb] and FSI, PCS or MCS scores. The distribution of the dots in Figure 2 reflects a similar lack of association between Hb concentration and postoperative complications (marked by filled circles).

Figure 2.

Scatter plots of cardiac adverse events (A), respiratory adverse events (B), major infections (C), non-specific symptoms of anemia (D) and neurological adverse events (E) according to pre and postoperative Hb concentrations. Filled circles represent patients with adverse events. HbPre = Preoperative hemoglobin; HbPost = Postoperative hemoglobin.

Table 4 presents the relationship between the difference between pre and postoperative Hb, FSI and SF-36 components scores, and shows that this difference in Hb concentration was not associated with FSI, PCS and MCS. Only non-specific symptoms of anemia (p = 0.0418) and age (p = 0.0106) were statistically associated with the difference in [Hb]. The difference in Hb concentrations tended to be (but was not significantly) correlated with female gender (p = 0.0684).

A possible non-linear effect of postoperative [Hb] on FSI scores was investigated (Table 5). To do so, a quadratic transformation of FSI was added I(FSI²). Again, there was no statistically significant relationship between postoperative Hb concentration and FSI scores. Finally, the effect of time between surgery and completion of the follow-up questionnaire on patients’ scores was considered. Time was not statistically associated with PCS and MCS scores but it was statistically correlated with FSI scores (FSI scores worsened as time elapsed; p = 0.0108).

Discussion

Contrary to our preliminary hypothesis, we were unable to find a relationship between the immediate postoperative Hb concentration (or the difference between pre and postoperative Hb) and functional recovery or QoL in patients in the long-term period after a major arthroplasty. Also, there were no significant correlations between postoperative Hb levels and adverse events or morbidities thought to be associated with postoperative anemia. Consequently, we could not establish a Hb threshold below which functional recovery and QoL in patients are affected.

The SF-36 and FSI data were analyzed by linear regression using two main models (one studied scores in association with postoperative Hb and the second investigated scores in association with individual differences between pre and postoperative Hb concentrations). There were no significant associations of these two models with SF-36 and FSI. We also considered an eventual non-linear effect of postoperative Hb on FSI scores to ensure that all correlation models were investigated. Again, there were no associations between postoperative Hb and FSI scores.

Two recent studies support the lack of effects of postoperative anemia on functional recovery and QoL in patients undergoing a major arthroplasty. A randomized clinical trial involving 2016 patients at high cardiovascular risk demonstrated that a liberal transfusion strategy, as compared with a restrictive strategy, did not reduce the death rates, the ability to walk independently or the rates of in-hospital morbidities 60 days after hip-fracture surgery¹³. Moreover, the results of the TRIOS phase 2 trial also showed that moderate anemia does not affect functional recovery or QoL in patients during the immediate postoperative period⁷. Considering these outcomes and the fact that recovery from anemia is relatively rapid⁷, it is not entirely surprising that the long-term effects of anemia on functional recovery and QoL were minimal in the present study (Table 3 and Table 4).

On the other hand, a recent literature review by Spahn suggests that an increase in postoperative mortality and morbidity could be associated with perioperative anemia¹. This review concluded that perioperative anemia is associated with postoperative infections, poorer physical functioning and recovery, and increased length of hospital stay and mortality¹. However, prospective clinical studies are required to validate these conclusions. In contrast to Spahn’s review, results of the FOCUS trial demonstrated that the frequency of in-hospital morbidities (including pneumonia, wound infection, thromboembolism, stroke or transient ischemic attack and clinically recognized myocardial infarction), the inability to walk independently on a 60-day follow-up, length of hospital stay and mortality rates were not reduced by using a liberal transfusion strategy (maintaining [Hb] over 100 g/L) as compared with a restrictive strategy (transfusion for symptoms of anemia or at physician discretion for a [Hb] below 80 g/L)¹³.

Several studies have investigated the relationship between postoperative anemia and functional outcomes in patients after surgery. As reviewed in the study by Vuille-Lessard et al, the conclusions of these studies tend to diverge, but in general, most evidence-based studies indicated that the effects of anemia on functional recovery and QoL are limited⁷.

A major strength of the present study is that we used two different questionnaires to evaluate the patients’ physical and psychological function. This enhances the validity of the results. Another strength of the study is the reliability and validity of the instruments used to collect data. Functional recovery was measured using the FSI, a valid and reliable instrument allowing auto-evaluation of physical function in adults⁸, while QoL was evaluated using the well-validated SF-36¹⁰.

Weaknesses of this study include the inability or the refusal of some patients to report a representative description of their physical and psychological condition. Furthermore, some interviewed patients had concurrent health problems (cancer, diabetes, renal insufficiency and arthritis for example) in addition to their orthopedic surgery that might have also affected their FSI or SF-36 scores. As a result, some patients recovering well from either THA or TKA may have presented low physical function scores due to other health problems. However, this possibility would have affected our results negatively, which was not the case since, overall, FSI scores indicated a good functional recovery. Another weakness of this study is its follow-up observational design and the variable time between surgery and follow-up. Given that total recovery from THA or TKA is relatively rapid⁷, the difference in time between surgery and the follow-up questionnaire (3 months to 6 years) may have affected the scores to the questionnaires relating to the patient’s recovery and. yet, our results show that this was not the case for PCS and MCS scores and FSI scores were negatively affected by a longer time interval between surgery and the follow-up questionnaire.

In summary, postoperative anemia does not appear to affect long-term (6 months or more) functional recovery and QoL in patients undergoing THA or TKA. Our follow-up results confirm the lack of effects of anemia on functional recovery and QoL during the immediate postoperative period observed in the TRIOS phase 2 study.