title: Venous thromboembolism after joint replacement in older male veterans with comorbidity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify older adults with comorbidities or poor functional status at high risk of postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Older adults who underwent total hip and knee replacement (THR and TKR) from 2002 to 2009.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using multivariate logistic regression, the independent effect of cardiopulmonary comorbidities and diabetes on VTE was analyzed. Functional status expressed in a summary physical component score (PCS) was also analyzed in a subset of individuals in whom information on it was available.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 23,326 THR and TKR surgeries performed at the VAMC during the study period. Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) had a 25% greater risk of VTE (odds ratio (OR) = 1.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.06-1.48), whereas those with coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, and cerebrovascular disease did not have a greater risk of VTE. Individuals with diabetes mellitus had a lower risk of VTE (OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.64-0.92). Individuals with low PCS, which were available for 3,169 patients, had a 62% greater risk, although the effect did not reach statistical significance (lowest vs highest quartile OR = 1.62, 95% CI = 0.93-2.80).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Individuals with COPD had slightly greater risk of VTE, whereas low functional status had a larger effect that did not reach statistical significance. The constraints of administrative data analysis and sample size available for PCS limit conclusions about the role of these comorbidities and functional status.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Medicine Unit, School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA. Alok.kapoor@bmc.org
authors.forename: Alok
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kapoor
authors.forename: Priscilla
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chew
authors.forename: Rebecca A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Silliman
authors.forename: Elaine M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Hylek
authors.forename: Jeffrey N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cabral
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Berlowitz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D054556:Venous Thromboembolism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014728:Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*