University of Alberta Researcher Yields New Study Findings on Arthroplasty (“I Often Feel Conflicted in Denying Surgery”: Perspectives of Orthopaedic Surgeons on Body Mass Index Thresholds for Total Joint Arthroplasty): Surgery – Arthroplasty

2023 AUG 30 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators publish new report on arthroplasty. According to news reporting out of Edmonton, Canada, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “Use of a patient body mass index (BMI) eligibility threshold for total joint arthroplasty (TJA) is controversial. A strict BMI criterion may reduce surgical complication rates, but over-restrict access to effective osteoarthritis (OA) treatment.”

Our news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from University of Alberta: “Factors that influence orthopaedic surgeons’ use of BMI thresholds are unknown. We aimed to identify and explore orthopaedic surgeons’ perspectives regarding patient BMI eligibility thresholds for TJA. A cross-sectional, online qualitative survey was distributed to orthopaedic surgeons who conduct hip and/or knee TJA in the United States. Survey questions were open-ended, and responses were collected anonymously. Survey data were coded and analyzed in an iterative, systematic process to identify predominant themes. Forty-five surveys were completed. Respondents were 54.3 ± 12.4 years old (range, 34 to 75 years), practiced in 22 states, and had 21.2 ± 13.3 years (range, 2 to 44 years) of surgical experience. Twelve factors influencing BMI threshold use by orthopaedic surgeons were identified: (1) evidence interpretation, (2) personal experiences, (3) difficulty of surgery, (4) professional ramifications, (5) ethics and biases, (6) health-system policies and performance metrics, (7) surgical capacity and resources, (8) patient body fat distribution, (9) patient self-advocacy, (10) control of decision-making in the clinical encounter, (11) expectations for demonstrated weight loss, and (12) research and innovation gaps.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Multilevel, complex factors underlie BMI threshold use for TJA eligibility. Addressing identified factors at the patient, surgeon, and health-system levels should be considered to optimally balance complication avoidance with improving access to life-enhancing surgery. Clinical Relevance: This study may influence how orthopaedic surgeons think about their own practices and how they approach patients and consider surgical eligibility.”

For more information on this research see: “I Often Feel Conflicted in Denying Surgery”: Perspectives of Orthopaedic Surgeons on Body Mass Index Thresholds for Total Joint Arthroplasty. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 2023,105(11). The publisher for Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery is Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health).

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.2106/jbjs.22.01312.

Our news editors report that more information may be obtained by contacting Kristine Godziuk, Department of Agricultural Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Additional authors for this research include Emily A. Reeson, Alex H.S. Harris, Nicholas J. Giori.

ORCID is an identifier for authors and includes bibliographic information. The following is ORCID information for the authors of this research: Kristine Godziuk (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9520-4302), Emily A. Reeson (http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2836-4194), Alex H.S. Harris (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7267-3077), Nicholas J. Giori (http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5107-9466).

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