Neuraxial anaesthesia is associated with improved outcomes and reduced postoperative complications in patients undergoing aseptic revision total hip arthroplasty

Background: As the incidence of primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) continues to increase, revision THA (rTHA) is becoming an increasingly common procedure. rTHA is widely regarded as a more challenging procedure, with higher complication rates and increased medical, social and economic burdens when compared to its primary counterpart. Given the complexity of rTHA and the projected increase in incidence of these procedures, patient optimisation is becoming of interest to improve outcomes. Anaesthetic choice has been extensively studied in primary THA as a modifiable risk factor for postoperative outcomes, showing favourable results for neuraxial anaesthesia compared to general anaesthesia. The impact of anaesthetic choice in rTHA has not been studied previously. Methods: A retrospective study was performed using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Patients who underwent rTHA between 2014 and 2017 were divided into 3 anaesthesia cohorts: general anaesthesia, neuraxial anaesthesia, and combined general-regional (neuraxial and/or peripheral nerve block) anaesthesia. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to analyse patient characteristics and 30-day postoperative outcomes. Bonferroni correction was applied for post-hoc analysis. Results: In total, 5759 patients were identified. Of these, 3551 (61.7%) patients underwent general anaesthesia, 1513 (26.3%) patients underwent neuraxial anaesthesia, and 695 (12.1%) patients underwent combined general-regional anaesthesia. On multivariate analysis, neuraxial anaesthesia was associated with decreased odds for any-one complication (OR 0.635; p < 0.001), perioperative blood transfusion (OR 0.641; p < 0.001), and extended length of stay (OR 0.005; p = 0.005) compared to general anaesthesia. Conclusions: Relative to those receiving general anaesthesia, patients undergoing neuraxial anaesthesia are at decreased risk for postoperative complications, perioperative blood transfusions, and extended length of stay. Prospective controlled trials should be conducted to verify these findings.