April 10, 2026Open Access

Associations between preoperative hypoalbuminemia and clinical outcomes following total hip or knee arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Key Result

Preoperative hypoalbuminemia is associated with an increased risk of complications, transfusion, unplanned reoperation, and mortality following total hip or knee arthroplasty.

Key Points

The study aims to evaluate the relationship between preoperative hypoalbuminemia and clinical outcomes following hip or knee arthroplasty.
Systematic review and meta-analysis of existing literature
Focus on clinical outcomes post total hip and knee arthroplasty
Assessment of complications, transfusions, and reoperations
Preoperative hypoalbuminemia correlates with higher rates of complications post-surgery
Increased risk of unplanned reoperations and mortality observed in patients with low albumin levels
Transfusion requirements are also elevated in hypoalbuminemic patients

Structured PICO

Does preoperative hypoalbuminemia increase the risk of complications, transfusion, unplanned reoperation, and mortality in patients undergoing total hip or knee arthroplasty?

Population

Patients undergoing total hip or knee arthroplasty (THA or TKA)

Intervention

Preoperative hypoalbuminemia

Outcome

Complications, transfusion, unplanned reoperation, and mortalityhard clinical

Preoperative hypoalbuminemia is a significant risk factor for adverse clinical outcomes following total hip or knee arthroplasty, suggesting a need for targeted presurgical optimization.

Main Result

Absolute Event Rate: 0% vs 0%

Abstract

Preoperative hypoalbuminemia is associated with an increased risk of numerous types of complications, transfusion, unplanned reoperation, and mortality after THA or TKA. Therefore, presurgical protocols formulated to deal with these unfavorable clinical outcomes may pay particular attention to this specific patient group.