Reasons and Risk Factors for Failed Same-Day Discharge After Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty

Trends and epidemiology in robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty: Reduced complications and shorter hospital stays

INTRODUCTION

This study provides an in-depth analysis of the immediate postoperative outcomes and implications or robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty (RA-TKA) compared with conventional TKA (C-TKA), particularly with regard to mortality, complications, hospital stay and costs, drawing from a comprehensive nationwide data set.

METHODS

The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database, the largest all-payer inpatient healthcare database in the United States, was used to identify all patients who underwent RA-TKA or C-TKA from 2016 to 2019. A total of 527,376 cases, representing 2,638,679 patients who underwent elective TKA were identified, of which 88,415 had RA-TKA. To mitigate potential variations and selection bias in baseline characteristics between the two groups, a propensity score-matched analysis was employed to further balance and refine our data set, resulting in 176,830 patients evenly distributed between the groups. Analysis was performed according to demographics, immediate post-operative complications, and economic data, including payor class, length of stay and total charges.

RESULTS

There was a marked shift towards RA-TKA, from an initial 0.70% in 2016 to a notable 7.30% by 2019. Patients who underwent RA-TKA were slightly younger (66.2 ± SD years), compared to the C-TKA group (66.7 ± SD years). Hospital stay was 1.89 days and 2.29 days for RA-TKA and C-TKA, respectively. Charges metrics revealed slightly higher charges for RA-TKA. Less postoperative complications were found in the RA-TKA group, such as blood loss, anaemia, acute kidney injury, venous thromboembolism, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia and surgical wound complication. Even following the propensity score matching, these findings remained consistent and statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

RA-TKA use in the United States has grown substantially in the last few years and has been associated with significantly reduced immediate post-operative complications and length of hospital stay compared to C-TKA, offering safer surgical management for TKA patients. Further studies on the short- and long-term outcomes of RA-TKA would improve the understanding of the full potential of this technology.

LEVELS OF EVIDENCE

Level III.

Comparison of Patients Based on Their Self-Selected Discharge Pathway after Total Knee Arthroplasty at an Ambulatory Surgical Center

Outpatient total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is being performed more frequently in ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) to decrease the cost of care. Discharge pathways include 23-hour observation (OBSERVATION) or same-day discharge home (HOME), which differ in postoperative medical supervision. Few studies allow patients to self-select their discharge pathway. This study compared patient variables between self-selected OBSERVATION or HOME discharge after TKA at an ASC. We hypothesized that age, sex, and distance lived from the ASC would differ between discharge pathways. Clinical and patient-reported outcomes were explored.A chart review identified 130 patients with TKA at an ASC between November 2017 and December 2019. Patients self-selected OBSERVATION or HOME during a preoperative physician visit. Patient variables obtained from the electronic medical record were age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, body mass index, diabetic status, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class, distance lived from the ASC, anesthesia type, procedure time, and time in the postanesthesia recovery unit. Clinical outcomes (knee range of motion, infection rate, and reoperation rate) and patient-reported outcomes (Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, Joint Replacement [KOOS, JR]; Oxford Knee Score [OKS]) were collected at either 6 or 12 weeks postsurgery. Variables were compared between groups.Pathway selection was n = 70 OBSERVATION and n = 60 HOME, and all patients completed their self-selected discharge pathway. Age and proportion of females were significantly higher in OBSERVATION than in HOME (61.3 ± 3.5 vs. 58.5 ± 5.4 years, 85.7 vs. 65.0%, respectively; p < 0.05). Distance lived from the ASC tended to be greater in OBSERVATION than HOME (22.1 ± 24.6 vs. 15.3 ± 10.1 miles, p = 0.056). Across groups, clinical outcomes were favorable (i.e., >88% met the 6-week knee flexion milestone, 1.9% infection rate, and 3.1% manipulation under anesthesia), and the preoperative to 12-week postoperative change in KOOS, JR and OKS scores met the minimal clinically important difference.Older age, female sex, and farther distance lived from the ASC may influence patients to select OBSERVATION over HOME discharge following TKA at an ASC. No robust differences were found in early outcomes.

Expanding the perioperative lens: Does the end justify the means?

In 1994, Fischer et al. established the preoperative clinic for the perioperative services at Stanford University Medical Center. By lowering the risk of cancellation and reducing morbidity and mortality against the push to move surgeries to an outpatient, basis, they demonstrated a return on investment. In the 2000s, Aronson et al. designed the prehabilitation clinics at Duke University with the notion that the preoperative process should not only ensure that patients were appropriately risk-stratified, but also clinically optimized before surgery. With a trend towards ambulatory procedures due to current reimbursement structures, hospital administrators should be searching for potential avenues to bolster sagging profits. In this narrative review, we argue that the perioperative services needs to extend beyond the hospital into the postoperative period.

Reasons and Risk Factors for Failed Same-Day Discharge After Total Joint Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

A shift toward same-day discharge (SDD) in primary elective total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) has created a need to optimize patient selection and improve same-day recovery pathways. The objectives of this study were (1) to identify our institution's most common causes for failed SDD, and (2) to evaluate risk factors associated with failed SDD.

METHODS

A retrospective review of SDD patients undergoing primary TKA or THA from January 2021 to September 2022 was conducted. Reasons for SDD failure were recorded and differences between successful and failed SDD cases were assessed via a multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

Overall, 85.3% (651 of 753) of patients included were successful SDDs. Failed SDD occurred in 16.8% (74 of 441) of TKA and 11.8% (38 of 322) of THA cases. Primary reasons included failure to clear physical therapy (33.0%, 37 of 112), postoperative hypotension (20.5%, 23 of 112), and urinary retention (16.9%, 19 of 112). Analysis revealed that overall failed SDD cases were more likely to have had prior opioid use and a longer surgical time. Failed TKA SDD cases were more likely to have had a longer surgical time and not have receive a preoperative nerve block, while failed THA SDD cases were more likely to be older.

CONCLUSIONS

The SDD selection criteria and pathways continue to evolve, with multiple factors contributing to failed SDD. Improving patient selection algorithms and optimizing post-operative pathways can enhance the ability to successfully choose SDD candidates.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

III.

Reasons and Risk Factors for Same-Day Discharge Following Total Joint Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review

Background

Nowadays, emphasis is being given to same-day discharge (SDD) following total joint arthroplasty. Unfortunately, despite a high degree of success, there are instances of failed SDD. Therefore, we aim to conduct a systematic review to evaluate factors contributing to failed SDD after total joint arthroplasty.

Methods

Pubmed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Google Scholar were searched. The Newcastle Ottawa score was used for the quality assessment of selected studies. All the studies were evaluated through a narrative synthesis. A total of 11 studies evaluating 157,045 patients were selected. The mean age of patients was 62.5 years.

Results

Elderly patients (odds ratio [OR] 1.01 to OR 3.13), women (OR 1.63 to OR 2.87), non-white race (OR 1.31 to OR 2.19), hypertension (OR 1.11 to OR 1.41), diabetes (OR 1.25 to OR 4.06), cardiovascular diseases (OR 1.67 to OR 12.06), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR 1.30 to OR 1.96), bleeding disorders (OR 1.32 to OR 1.52), obesity (OR 1.35 to OR 3.30), steroid use (OR 1.23 to OR 1.52), late procedure start time (OR 1.22 to OR 5.16), higher postoperative pain (OR 1.93 to OR 5.85), high American Society of Anesthesiologists score (OR 0.92 to OR 3.50) were major predictors of failed SDD.

Conclusions

Through our review, we highlighted that elderly patients, women, non-white race, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bleeding disorders, obesity, steroid use, late procedure start time, higher postoperative pain, and high American Society of Anesthesiologists score were major predictors of a failed SDD. Many factors evaluated in our study were presented in one or two studies only; therefore, high-quality studies are required to supplement our findings.

Short-Term (90 Days) Clinical Outcomes Following the Day of Surgery Conversion of Inpatient to Same-Day Hip and Knee Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

The incidence of total joint arthroplasty is increasing, with added emphasis on shifting care toward outpatient surgery. This has demonstrated improvements in costs and care; however, safety must be prioritized. Published assessment tools highlight candidates for outpatient surgery; however, they often do not define patients who have a worse prognosis. Limited healthcare resources occasionally force patients to convert to outpatient surgery or risk cancellation, creating a dilemma for both patients and surgeons. We evaluated the short-term (90-day) outcomes of patients converted from planned inpatient admission to same-day discharge on day of surgery outpatients and sought to identify any groups at risk, who may not be appropriate for this conversion.

METHODS

We identified all patients undergoing planned inpatient total hip or knee arthroplasty at a tertiary academic medical center over a 2-year period. We included patients discharged the day of surgery for analysis, excluding revision procedures and those performed for fracture care. A manual chart review identified demographic factors and primary outcome measures; including reoperation, readmission, and emergency room visits within a 90-day postoperative period.

RESULTS

We identified a total of 80 patients who converted from inpatient to outpatient surgery over a 2-year interval. Over the first 90 days postoperatively 4 (5%) patients were readmitted: 2 (2.5%) for medical complications and 2 (2.5%) for reoperation. There were 2 (2.5%) reoperations; one (1.25%) for manipulation under anesthesia, and one (1.25%) for periprosthetic joint infection. There were 5 (6.3%) wound complications; however, only one (1.25%) required surgical intervention. A total of 5 (6.3%) patients returned to an emergency department, leading to a single (1.25%) hospital readmission.

CONCLUSIONS

Hospital and healthcare resources are occasionally limited to the extent that patients must convert to outpatient surgery or risk cancellation. At our institution, the same-day conversion of planned inpatient hip and knee arthroplasty patients to outpatient surgery was safe and did not increase short-term clinical outcomes or complications.

Predictors of Failure to Achieve Planned Same-Day Discharge after Primary Total Joint Arthroplasty: a Multivariable Analysis of Perioperative Risk Factors

INTRODUCTION

Failure to achieve planned same-day discharge (SDD) primary total joint arthroplasty (TJA) occurs in as many as 7% to 49% of patients in the United States. This study evaluated the association between 43 perioperative risk factors and SDD failure rates.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from 466 primary TJAs with planned SDD to home was performed. Surgeries were performed at an academic tertiary care center comprising a hospital facility and a stand-alone ambulatory surgery center (ASC) on the same campus. Factors associated with failed SDD were identified using a multivariable analysis.

RESULTS

Only one of 316 (0.3%) patients who underwent surgery in the ASC failed planned SDD ( P < 0.001) compared with 33.3% of 150 patients who underwent surgery in the hospital. The ASC failure was because of pain that interfered with physical therapy. Sixty-two percent (n = 31) of hospital failures were attributed to medical complications, 24% (n = 12) to physical therapy clearance, 8% (n = 4) to not being seen by internal medicine or therapy on the day of surgery, and 6% (n = 3) to unknown causes. Failure was increased in patients with preoperative anemia ( P = 0.003), nonwhite patients ( P = 0.002), patients taking depression/anxiety medication ( P = 0.015), and for every 10-morphine milligram equivalent increase in opioids consumed per hour in the postacute care unit ( P = 0.030).

DISCUSSION

Risk stratification methods used to allocate patients to ASC versus hospital outpatient TJA surgery predicted SDD success. Most failures were secondary to medical causes. The findings of this study may be used to improve perioperative protocols enabling the safe planning and selection of patients for SDD pathways.

Older Age, Male Sex, and Early Start Time Lengthen the Recovery Room Stay Following Total Joint Arthroplasty in an Ambulatory Surgical Center

Background

Total joint arthroplasty (TJA) performed in the ambulatory surgical center (ASC) has been shown to be safe and cost-effective for an expanding cohort of patients. As criteria for TJA in the ASC become less restrictive, data guiding the efficient use of ASC resources are crucial.

Purpose

We sought to identify factors associated with length of stay in the recovery room after primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) performed in the ASC.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective review of 411 patients who underwent primary THA or TKA at our institution's ASC between November 2020 and March 2022. We collected patient demographics, perioperative factors, success of same-day discharge (SDD), and length of time in the recovery room.

Results

Of 411 patients, 100% had successful SDD. The average length of time spent in recovery was 207 minutes (SD: 73.9 minutes). Predictors of longer time in recovery were increased age, male sex, and operative start time before 9:59 am. Body mass index, preoperative opioid use, Charlson Comorbidity Index, type of surgery (THA vs TKA), urinary retention risk, and type of anesthesia (spinal vs general) were not significant predictors of length of time in the recovery room.

Conclusion

In this retrospective study, factors associated with increased length of time in the recovery room included older age, male sex, and operative start time before 9:59 am. Such factors may guide surgeons in determining the optimal order of cases for each day at the ASC, but further prospective studies should seek to confirm these observations.