The American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) have jointly published a guideline on the perioperative management of antirheumatic medication for patients with rheumatic diseases who undergo elective total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
Primary recommendations include:
- Nonbiologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) may be continued throughout the perioperative period in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and lupus undergoing elective THA or TKA.
- Biologic medications should be withheld as close to one dosing cycle as scheduling permits prior to elective THA or TKA, and restarted after evidence of wound healing, typically 14 days, for all patients with rheumatic diseases.
The guideline is based on a multi-step systematic literature review conducted by 31 specialists from more than 20 hospitals and professional organizations. Learn more...
