Comparison of perioperative complications and hospitalization outcomes after ankle arthrodesis versus total ankle arthroplasty from 2002 to 2011.

Background:The aim of this study was to analyze a validated, nationally representative admissions database in order to compare perioperative complications and hospitalization outcomes associated with ankle arthrodesis (AAD) versus ankle arthroplasty (TAA).Methods:Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2002 to 2011, 12 250 patients who underwent AAD and 3002 patients who underwent TAA were identified based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes. The demographics, comorbidities, and perioperative outcomes during the index hospital stay were compared between patients who underwent AAD and TAA. Multivariate analysis was performed to adjust for differences in demographics and comorbidities between the 2 groups.Results:Multivariate analysis demonstrated that TAA was independently associated with a decreased risk of blood transfusion (relative risk [RR] = 0.53, P < .001), non–home discharge (RR = 0.70, P < .001), and overall complication (RR = 0.79, P = .03)....