David Dalton, MD, of Limerick, Ireland-based University Hospital Limerick, and colleagues conducted a retrospective study of 3,195 total hip or knee arthroplasty patients. They examined why 114 patients cancelled their surgeries.
Here’s what they found:
1. Approximately 92 cancellations were because anesthetists deemed the patients medically unsuitable for surgery.
2. Of the 114 patients, 27 had cardiac disease. It was the most common reason why a surgery was cancelled. Twenty-two patients had pulmonary disease, which was the second most common reason behind a cancellation.
3. Of the cancelled patients, 77 patients rescheduled and had their procedures completed at a later date.
Researchers concluded, “Although some cancellations are unavoidable, preoperative anesthetic assessment is effective in reducing the risk of perioperative complications after joint arthroplasty and is vital to the effective function of day of surgery admission.”
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