Hospital length of stay is decreasing for total knee arthroplasty, according to research published in the Journal of Arthroplasty.
Researchers studied patients from the National Surgical Quality Improvement database to identify patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty between 2006 and 2016. Researchers separated patients into three groups and analyzed postoperative complications and readmission rates.
Key research details to know:
1. The length of stay decreased over time comparing the 2006-2009 cohort (3.7 days), to the 2010-2013 cohort (3.3).
2. There was also a decrease in complications between the two cohorts.
3. Decreases in 30-day readmission rates were observed in the 2010-2013 cohort (3.63 percent), compared to 2013-2016 (3.23 percent).
Researchers concluded, "In the last decade, there has been a trend toward decreasing [length of stay] after [total knee arthroplasty]. Despite concerns about early discharge, data from a national registry demonstrated a simultaneous decrease in total 30-day complication and readmission rates."