Epidemiology of arterial hypertension in patients scheduled for elective hip replacement

Background: Assessment of blood pressure values and early diagnosis of hypertension are especially important in high-risk group, including patients in preoperative and postoperative period. The aim of the current study was the assessment of blood pressure values and prevalence of hypertension in patients undergoing elective hip replacement surgery - an orthopedic procedure associated with one of the highest cardiovascular complication rate. Material and methods: Two hundred and eighty-four consecutive patients admitted for elective hip replacement surgery were screened for arterial hypertension. All patients had their medical records reviewed for prior diagnosis and had their blood pressure measured on admission by a qualified physician prior to the procedure, according to the current guidelines. Results: The mean age of the study population was 62.2 +/- 13.9 years and 42.7% of the patients were male. The body mass index (BMI) in the study population was 27.0 +/- 4.2 kg/m(2). Fifty-eight point two percent of patients were diagnosed with arterial hypertension previously. Mean blood pressure values on admission for systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were 134.5 +/- 20.4 and 78.6 +/- 13.1 mm Hg, respectively. In 43.2% of patients, the on admission blood pressure values exceeded the threshold of >= 140 and/or 90 mm Hg. Arterial hypertension was diagnosed de novo in 33 (15.0%) patients. Patients with the disease were older (67.5 +/- 12.3 vs. 54.4 +/- 13.9 years; p < 0.0001), and had higher BMI (27.6 +/- 4.3 vs. 26.2 +/- 3.8 kg/m(2); p = 0.05) than patients without the diagnosed disease. Diabetes mellitus was more often found in hypertensive patients (13.3% vs. 3.3%; p = 0.02), they also more often had history of myocardial infarction (p = 0.02), stable coronary artery disease (p = 0.001) and heart failure (p = 0.006) compared to patients without the diagnosis. Conclusions: The majority of patients scheduled for elective hip replacement surgery is diagnosed with arterial hypertension. The disease is also diagnosed de novo in 15% of these patients. Screening for arterial hypertension is important in this group of patients and can potentially reduce the complication rates of the hip replacement surgery.