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Greater risk of postoperative DVT seen in women after arthroscopic meniscectomy

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SAN DIEGO — Gender differences exist regarding postoperative complications following arthroscopic meniscectomy for older patients, according to a presentation at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, here.

“Pyogenic arthritis, pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) are relatively rare in the older population, and our findings are consistent with the current literature,” Sharon L. Hame, MD, said during her presentation. “Males have a greater risk for pyogenic arthritis, while females had a greater risk of DVT and PE in this population.”

Hame and colleagues reviewed the Medicare Standard Analytic Files database from 2005 to 2008. Inclusion criteria included men and women 65 years of age and older who underwent procedures coded as arthroscopic meniscectomy including Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes 29880 for medial and lateral meniscectomy and 29881 for medial or lateral meniscectomy. The team evaluated the rates of postoperative complications, including pyogenic arthritis, DVT and PE. Patient data was cross-referenced by IDC-9 codes for complications occurring within 90 days of the index procedure.

A total of 314,578 patients (38% male and 62% female patients) were included in the study. There were 131,420 patients (42%) coded 29880 and 183,158 patients (58%) coded 29881. For the entire study population, 0.4% (1,107 patients) developed pyogenic arthritis, 0.8% (2,543 patients) developed a DVT and 0.3% (992 patients) developed a PE. Among men, 0.4% developed pyogenic arthritis, 0.7% developed a DVT and 0.2% developed a PE. Among women, 0.3% developed pyogenic arthritis, 0.8% developed a DVT and 0.3% developed a PE.

“As the population ages, the number of complications is going to increase. Further studies are needed to provide the most accurate assessment of risk for the older patient,” she said.

Reference:

• Nguyen V, Hame SL, Ellerman J, et al. Complications of arthroscopic meniscectomy in the older population. Paper #6. Presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. July 7-10. San Diego.
• Disclosure: Hame has no relevant financial disclosures.

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