It’s always good to be on the look out for potential problems. Once recognized, early intervention and treatment can minimize the effects of something that might otherwise be a serious problem. In the case of joint replacements (or any major orthopedic surgery for that matter), the first 90-days are crucial for problems like blood clots and skin, joint, or wound infection.
Any of these problems can require hospital readmission. By nature of the thin soft tissues around the elbow, the rate of infection tends to be a problem no matter how careful the surgeon is. Most of these problems occur early and mean the patient has to go back to the hospital for further care.
Fortunately, deaths (usually from blood clots) in the first three months following an elbow joint replacement procedure are reported at a low rate of 0.62 per cent. But blood clots can develop later, so careful observation of any new or disturbing signs and symptoms is important.
There are other complications that can be disabling such as nerve injuries, implant loosening, and fractures. Amputation and conversion to joint fusion are among the more serious problems later on. On the positive side, 92 per cent of elbow implants do just fine and are still working quite well years after being put in.
Elbow joint replacement is still a fairly uncommon procedure. Surgeons are keeping an eye on their own rate of complications as well as reading the literature for any information that can help them improve results. There’s plenty of room for further studies to fill in and round out what we know about short- and long-term results of total elbow arthroplasty (TEA). The conclusion of studies so far is that complications are higher than expected or desired.
Patient results may be improved and costs decreased with further studies to find out why rates of failure, revision, and reoperation are so high. A closer look at patient characteristics may also be helpful in reducing mortality and rates of other serious short- and long-term complications.