Managing Rheumatic Medications after Hip or Knee Surgery

The use of DMARDs and biologic agents have significantly improved the quality of life for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and lupus, but total hip and knee arthroplasty are still commonly needed to relieve pain and improve function. The post-procedure risks of infection, dislocation, and readmission are high. Proper perioperative management of immunosuppressant therapy at the time of arthroplasty can reduce those risks.To help clinicians manage antirheumatic drug therapy, the American College of Rheumatology and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons developed evidence-based guidelines for the perioperative management of antirheumatic medication for patients with rheumatic diseases undergoing elective total hip or total knee arthroplasty. In this slideshow, we outline those recommendations.For more information, see:  "New Antirheumatic Drug Guidelines for Hip and Knee Arthroplasty" REFERENCE:  Goodman S, Springer B, Guyatt G, Abdel M, Dasa V, George M, Gewurz-Singer O, Giles J, Johnson B, Lee S, Mandy L, Mont M, Sculco P, Sporer S, Stryker L, Turgunbaev M, Brause B, Chen A, Gillilland J, Goodman M, Hurley-Rosenblatt A, Kirov K, Losina E, MacKenzie R, Michaud K, Mikuls T, Russell L, Sah A, Miller A, Singh J, Yates A, 2017 American College of Rheumatology/American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons Guideline for the Perioperative Management of Antirheumatic Medication in Patients With Rheumatic Diseases Undergoing Elective Total Hip or Total Knee Arthroplasty. Arthritis Care & Research (2017), doi: 10.1002/acr.23274