Postoperative Complications in Medicare Beneficiaries Following Endothelial Keratoplasty Surgery

Purpose: To determine national-level incidence rates of major postoperative complications following endothelial keratoplasty (EK) procedures and to stratify these rates based on EK indications over an 8-year period using Medicare claims data. Design: Retrospective, cohort study. Methods: Setting: population-based; study population: Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥65 years who underwent EK procedures; main outcome measurements: 1) occurrence of major postoperative complications (i.e., endophthalmitis, choroidal hemorrhage, infectious keratitis, cystoid macular edema [CME], retinal detachment [RD], or RD surgery) following EK surgery; 2) time-to-event analysis for glaucoma surgery; and 3) occurrence of graft complications. Results: A total of 94,829 EK procedures (n = 71,040 unique patients) were included in the analysis. Of the total, 29% of patients had pre-existing glaucoma. The overall 90-day cumulative incidence of postoperative endophthalmitis and choroidal hemorrhage following EK was 0.03% and 0.05%, respectively. The overall 1-year cumulative rates of RD or RD surgery, infectious keratitis, and CME were 1.0%, 0.8%, and 4.1%, respectively. Approximately 7.6%, 12.2%, and 13.8% of all eyes in this study needed glaucoma surgery at 1-, 5-, and 8-years of follow-up, respectively. The probability of glaucoma surgery among patients with pre-existing glaucoma was 29% vs. 8% among those without pre-existing glaucoma at 8 years. The cumulative probabilities of developing any graft complications were 13%, 23.2%, and 27.1% at 1, 5, and 8 years, respectively, of follow-up. On average, patients undergoing EK procedures for a prior failed graft had the highest rate of complications, whereas those with Fuchs' corneal endothelial dystrophy had the lowest. Conclusions: The incidence of major postoperative complications including endophthalmitis, retinal detachment, and choroidal hemorrhage following EK procedures is low. A high proportion of eyes undergoing EK eventually require glaucoma surgery and experience graft-related complications. Postoperative outcomes are typically worse for patients undergoing EK for prior failed grafts than for those undergoing EK for Fuchs' corneal endothelial dystrophy.