Postoperative complications
Short term complications were monitored for 3 months postoperatively, during which time no cases of DVT were reported in group C patients, while one case was reported in group A and 4 in group B (Table 4). There is less ratio of DVT in group C compared to group B with no statistical significance after pairwise comparisons (P=0.03). Other short-term complications were further categorized as systematic, wound, or surgical issues. Group A control patients reported 4 complications (2 systematic, 1 wound and 1 surgical) which were 1 case of hemarthrosis (managed through puncture aspiration), 2 cases of nerve injury (one of which resulted from subcutaneous compression and resolved after release), and one case of blood transfusion related allergic shock. Four short-term complications were also noted in group C patients (3 systematic, 1 wound) which were one case of urinary tract infection, one herpes zoster infection, one thrombocytopenia, and one peroneal nerve palsy. No statistical differences were observed between any treatment groups in grouped short-term complications or when subdivided into systematic, wound or surgical problems (Table 4). Of note, no cases of RA flare/relapse or acute infection was reported in any group.
Long term complications assessed at latest follow up, an average of 11.4 years postoperatively, reported no incidents in groups A or B and one case of prosthetic joint infection (PJI) in group C which occurred 3 years following index surgery and required surgical revision. No aseptic loosening, instability or periprosthetic fracture was reported in our study.