Ninety-day morbidity in patients undergoing primary TKA with discontinuation of warfarin and bridging with LMWH.

Abstract

We asked whether patients under long-term warfarin and managed with current guidelines regarding bridging therapy have a higher complications rate within ninety days following total knee arthroplasty. We retrospectively identified 38 patients under long-term warfarin. They were match-paired with 76 control patients. Our results showed a significant increased rate of complications (42.1% vs. 6.9%, P < 0.001) and re-operation (21.1% vs. 5.2%, P < 0.001) in the warfarin group. The difference was related to the number of hematomas requiring surgical evacuation. The warfarin group had a significantly higher rate of blood loss, blood transfusion, and length of hospital stay. Our data suggest that current guidelines for preoperative warfarin management are associated with a high rate of bleeding complications and reoperations following TKA.