Table 3.
Primary and secondary outcome variables among patients undergoing elective total hip and knee arthroplasties grouped by their receipt of perioperative fluid resuscitation with hydroxyethyl starch 6% or with albumin 5% or with neither. Values are numbers (percentages) of patients unless stated otherwise
| Hydroxyethyl starch (n=43 732) | Albumin (n=8022) | Neither (n=999 687) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary outcome variables | |||
| Acute renal failure | 764 (1.7) | 273 (3.4) | 13 857 (1.4) |
| Thromboembolic complications | 182 (0.4) | 73 (0.9) | 6631 (0.7) |
| Cardiac complications | 1087 (2.5) | 238 (3.0) | 21 619 (2.2) |
| Pulmonary complications | 642 (1.5) | 221 (2.8) | 13 193 (1.3) |
| Combined complications* | 3289 (7.5) | 916 (11.4) | 67 125 (6.7) |
| Secondary outcome variables | |||
| In-hospital mortality | 45 (0.1) | 13 (0.2) | 565 (0.1) |
| Admission to intensive care unit | 3391 (7.8) | 1196 (14.9) | 68 514 (6.9) |
| Mechanical ventilation | 321 (0.7) | 84 (1.0) | 2590 (0.3) |
| Median (IQR) length of hospital stay (days) | 3 (3–4) | 3 (3–4) | 3 (3–4) |
| Median (IQR) cost of hospitalization ($) | 16 191 (13 428–19 615) | 18 596 (14 815–23 191) | 15 057 (12 398–18 551) |
IQR=interquartile range.
χ2 test used to compare categorical variables, Kruskal-Wallis test for length of hospital stay and cost of hospitalization. All variables were significantly associated with the type of fluid resuscitation; at least one of the comparisons between groups was significant (P<0.001).
*Composite variable (pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, cerebrovascular events, other pulmonary complications, sepsis, cardiac complications, atrial fibrillation, pneumonia, other infections, acute renal failure, gastrointestinal complications, myocardial infarction, and mortality).