The perioperative management of patients on immunosuppressive drugs is uncertain due to a lack of controlled studies. Continuation of medication without a pause may increase the risk of postoperative infections and wound healing disorders and when the pause is too long this can induce a flare of the underlying rheumatic disease. Additional factors, such as rheumatic disease activity, comorbidities, previous infections and the type of surgical procedure also modulate the risk. The highest risk of infection is associated with corticosteroids depending on the dose, so that a dosage as low as possible but stable in the perioperative period is recommended. Among the conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) only methotrexate has been sufficiently investigated and in this case a pause in treatment induces higher risks than continuation. Antimalarial agents and sulphasalazine should be continued due to the low risks, whereas leflunomide should be washed out before major surgical interventions. The perioperative risk of treatment with biologics is still far from clear; therefore, as a rule of thumb, withholding treatment for two serum half-lives before an intervention and restarting after completed wound healing are recommended.
Keywords: Biologics; Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; Glucocorticoids; Infections; Wound healing.