The Effect of Operative Time on Short-Term Total Ankle Arthroplasty Outcomes

Introduction/Purpose: There is a paucity of literature investigating the association of operative time and postoperative outcomes following total ankle arthroplasty (TAA). Thus, this study seeks to evaluate the relationship between total operative time and postoperative outcomes following TAA. Methods: The American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database was queried from 2007-2020 to identify 2133 TAA patients. Demographics, medical comorbidities, concomitant procedures, hospital length of stay (LOS), and 30-day complication, readmission, and reoperation rates were compared between groups. Patients were excluded based on an operative time greater than 290 minutes to limit the influence of extreme outliers. The cohort was predominantly male (53.8%) and mean patient age was 64.10 (range 19-87) years with a mean BMI of 31.00 (range 17.14-57.78) m/kg2. The mean operative time of the cohort was 149.56 (standard deviation [SD]=49.60) minutes. Results: Demographic characteristics associated with increased operative time were decreased age (p 1 SD above the mean), independently predicted were readmission (OR=2.817; 95%CI=1.334-5.951; p=0.007), urinary tract infection (OR=6.410; 95%CI=1.384-29.6866; p=0.018), wound dehiscence (OR=5.127; 95%CI=1.282-20.508; p=0.021), and bleeding requiring transfusion (OR=18.364; 95%CI=1.846-182.682; p=0.013). Conclusion: The study found longer operative time during TAA is associated with a statistically significant increase in wound dehiscence, urinary tract infection, readmission, reoperation, and increased length of stay. Therefore, surgeons should prioritize measures to reduce operative time when appropriate while optimizing implant placement, deformity correction, and implant stability in TAA.