To analyze the clinical risk factor for postoperative wood complications following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) retrospectively.

From October 2014 to September 2017, 620 cases (738 knees) underwent primary TKA because of the knee osteoarthritis or knee rheumatoid osteoarthritis in the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, among which 55 cases (55 knees) occurred postoperative wood complications. The possible risk factors such as etiology, gender, age, hypertension, diabetes were analyzed to determine the cause of postoperative wood complications with Two-sample t test, χ² test and logistic regression analysis respectively.

Postoperatively, 55 cases (55 knees) had wood complications and the incidence rate is 7.45%. After univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis, excessive body mass index (BMI), history of smoking and the use of anticoagulants were important risk factors for wood complications after TKA. The odds ratio (OR)were 1.199, 3.119, 2.684 (P<0.05) respectively.

Patients with excessive BMI, history of smoking or using postoperative anticoagulant therapy are more likely to have wound complications after TKA. Close attention should be paid to the wound condition after the surgery, and evaluate the risk of anticoagulant therapy for the patients who need anticoagulant therapy to prevent VTE, bleeding and wound complications, and adjust the treatment in time.