Background: Decreasing length of stay (LOS) following primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has been an important focus by all the stakeholders involved in the delivery of care. LOS is dictated by both the patient and hospital-related factors. The purpose of this study was to determine if early mobilization on postoperative day 0 (POD 0) following primary TKA has an effect on hospital LOS and discharge to home vs. rehabilitation facilities. Methods: An analysis was performed of consecutive primary TKAs performed at a single institution over one year. Patients were assigned to two groups: POD 0 or POD 1, based on their day of mobilization. Patients were mobilized following surgery based on time of arrival to the orthopaedic floor and availability of physical therapy (PT) resources. The two groups were compared for LOS and discharge disposition using univariate analysis. A total of 408 consecutive TKAs were evaluated and from this group, a total of 143 patients who were mobilized on POD 0 were then matched to 143 patients mobilized on POD 1. There were no significant differences in age, sex, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, or body mass index (BMI) between POD 0 and POD 1 groups. Results: There was a significant difference in LOS between POD 0 and POD 1 groups, 2.44 vs. 2.80 days (P=0.002). There were also differences in discharge to home vs. rehabilitation, 70.63% of the POD 0 cohort were discharged home compared to 58.74% in POD 1 (P=0.035). Conclusions: There was a significant reduction in LOS and there were differences in discharge disposition between patients who mobilized on POD 0 vs. POD 1, with more patients mobilized on POD 0 discharged home. Hospitals should work with their total joint arthroplasty programs to mobilize close to 100% of the patients undergoing primary TKA on POD 0 in order to decrease LOS and healthcare expenditure.
Background: The use of cementless femoral stems in patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) with Dorr C bone remains controversial for fear of fracture or subsidence. Purpose of this multicenter study was to compare clinical outcomes and complications of THA using a tapered femoral prosthesis in patients with Dorr C bone versus Dorr A/B bone.Methods: A total of 1,030 patients underwent primary THA with a tapered wedge femoral stem at a minimum one year follow up. Forty-eight patients with Dorr C bone (mean age 68.7 years) were compared with a matched cohort of patients with Dorr A/B bone (mean age 69.9 years). Mean follow-up was approximately 4 years in both cohorts. There were no differences in sex, age, body mass index (BMI), Harris Hip Score (HHS), complications, and radiographic outcomes including subsidence and aseptic loosening were evaluated.Results: Postoperative HHS scores were a mean of 82 points in the Dorr C cohort compared to 84 points in the Door A/B cohort (P=0.2653). There was no significant difference in complication or revision rates for any reason (P=0.23). Mean subsidence for the Dorr C and Dorr A/B was 1.4 and 1.2 mm, respectively (P=0.5164), and there was no aseptic loosening of the femoral component found in either group.Conclusions: Current generation tapered wedge cementless femoral stems provide stable fixation for patients with Dorr C bone quality without increased complications with respect to fracture or subsidence and can be considered an alternative to cemented stems in patients with compromised bone quality.
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