Adverse event rate after THA similar for female, male surgeons

The rate of adverse events within 90 days for patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) does not differ according to whether the surgeon performing the procedure is female or male, according to a study published online May 24 in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

Per Jolbäck, R.N., Ph.D., from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, and colleagues conducted a retrospective study involving primary THAs performed for osteoarthritis between 2008 and 2016 at 10 hospitals in Western Sweden. Adverse events were retrieved from the regional patient register, and the impact of surgeon sex on adverse events was examined. Data were included for 11,993 primary THAs, performed by 200 surgeons (17.5 percent women).

The researchers found that the proportions of adverse events within 90 days were similar for female and male surgeons (6 and 7 percent, respectively). When all surgeons (both attendings and residents) were included in the analysis, no association was observed between surgeon sex and adverse events (adjusted odds ratio, 0.72; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.52 to 1.00). In a sensitivity analysis including only attendings, the results were similar (adjusted odds ratio, 0.88; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.60 to 1.29).

"We therefore conclude that there is no association between the rate of adverse events within 90 days postoperatively and the sex of the surgeon," the authors write.

One author disclosed financial ties to the medical device industry.

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