Increased risk of 90-day deep surgical site infection and periprosthetic joint infection following total shoulder arthroplasty in psoriasis patients

Introduction

Psoriasis, a chronic, immune-mediated disease, is a known risk factor for infectious complications following certain surgical procedures such as lower extremity arthroplasty. However, there is a paucity in the literature that observes the association of psoriasis and infectious complications following total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA). The primary research question was whether a diagnosis of psoriasis is associated with increased odds of short-term infectious complications and long-term surgical complications.

Materials and methods

A retrospective cohort analysis was performed using the PearlDiver all-payers’ claims database. Patients who underwent primary TSA were identified using Current Procedural Terminology and International Classification of Diseases procedure codes. Patients were then stratified into two groups: (1) patients with psoriasis who underwent TSA, and (2) patients without psoriasis who underwent TSA. Primary outcomes included the incidence of 90-day infectious complications including periprosthetic joint infection, deep surgical site infection, and sepsis. Secondary outcomes included the incidence of 5-year surgical complications including all-cause revision, aseptic revision, and septic revision. Univariate and multivariable regression analyses were conducted to compare complications between the cohorts.

Results

In total, 89,321 patients were included in this study, with 3311 (3.71%) having psoriasis. Patients with psoriasis had significantly higher odds of 90-day infectious complications following TSA including periprosthetic joint infection (1.63; P = .014) and deep surgical site infection (1.79; P = .003), when compared to those without psoriasis. There were no significant differences in odds of 5-year all-cause revisions, septic revisions, and aseptic revisions between the two cohorts.

Discussion

Psoriasis is associated with significantly higher 90-day infectious complications but not long-term implant complications. Orthopedic surgeons should be aware of the increased acute infectious complications in this population, promote preoperative counseling and extensive infectious precautions, and consider the use of alternative prophylaxis against infection. These findings also have implications for risk adjustments in increasingly common bundled payments or shared risk payment models.