Postoperative Complications Do Not Differ With Obesity in Ankle Arthroplasty

For patients undergoing total ankle arthroplasty (TAA), the impact of obesity on outcomes is unclear, according to two studies published in Foot & Ankle International. In the first study, Billy I. Kim and colleagues conducted a single-institution, retrospective study of 1,093 primary TAA performed between 2001 and 2020 with minimum follow-up for 2 years. The authors stratified patients by BMI into control, obesity class I, and obesity class II (BMI, 18.5-29.9, 30.0-34.9, and 35.0 kg/m² or greater [615, 285, and 193 patients, respectively]). Across BMI classes, there were no statistically significant differences in postoperative complications (infection, implant failure, or impingement). For the second study, Toby Jennison, MBBS, PhD, and colleagues conducted a data linkage study combining the National Joint Registry Data and National Health Service Digital data to assess the risk factors for failure of total ankle replacements. The overall 5-year survival was 90.2%. Only age, BMI, and underlying etiology were associated with an increased risk for failure in multivariable models (HRs, 0.96, 1.03, and 0.88, respectively).