Short-Term Coagulation Complications Following Total Knee Arthroplasty. A Comparison of Patient-Reported and Surgeon-Verified Complication Rates

Data from 3278 patients from a prospective patient-centered total joint registry was used to investigate the rates of complications in the first 6 months following primary total knee arthroplasty. All patients reporting deep venous thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), or major bleeding were identified through patient self-reporting. Complications were verified by a review of imaging records and direct communication with patients by a surgeon. Surgeon-verified rates of DVT, PE, and major bleeding were 1.52%, 0.49%, and 0.34%, respectively. When compared with the complication rates as reported by patients, concordance was 86.2% for DVT, 84.2% for PE, and 36.7% for major bleeding. More than half (54.5%) of the complications were diagnosed and treated at the original operative hospital, and 45.5% were diagnosed and treated at other institutions.