MORTALITY RISK SCORES AS OUTCOME PREDICTORS IN GERIATRIC PATIENTS AFTER KNEE AND HIP ARTHROPLASTY The research reported in this poster was supported by the American Geriatrics Society - Dennis W. Jahnigen Career Development Scholars Award. The investigators retained full independence in the conduct of this research. Carlos A. Higuera, MD†; Karim Elsharkawy, MD, MRCS†; Alison Klika, MS†; Matthew Brocone, BS‡; Wael K. Barsoum, MD† † Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH ‡ School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH Email: higuerc@ccf.org INTRODUCTION: Identifying preoperative predictors of outcomes after total knee or hip arthroplasty (TKA or THA) may aid to optimize these procedures. The predictors may improve the selection of patients and timing for surgery, thus reducing the associated risks, and helping to identify possible contraindications. This may lead to provide individualized patient care based on different characteristics including comorbidities. Additionally, this may be useful to categorize patients in clinical trials and/or to develop health care policy. Mortality risk scores such as the American Society of Anesthesiologist Physical Status Classification Scale (ASA) 1 and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) 2 are reproducible tools that may be used for this purpose. They would be especially useful in vulnerable populations with a high number of comorbidities such as geriatric patients. HYPOTHESIS: Geriatric patients (>65 yo) undergoing TKA or THA with preoperative increased ASA and CCI scores may have higher risk of early complications and other adverse outcomes after surgery. METHODS: Sample: An IRB approved cohort of 502 consecutive geriatric patients that underwent TKA or THA within a regional health system was identified and followed prospectively for at least 90 days. Patient and Surgery Variables: • Preoperative comorbidities and complications were collected using either an established list of existing ICD-9 codes of medical diagnoses or defined based on the patient history using comorbidities and complications definitions reported in the literature 3-5 . • Preoperative ASA 1 and CCI 2, 6 were calculated for each patient. • Prevalence of the comorbidities was calculated and then divided into: most and least prevalent. • Complications were categorized into systemic (medical) and local (orthopaedic), and subcategorized into major or minor based on severity and concurrent needed interventions 4 .