Complication rates for outpatient total hip and knee arthroplasties are similar to inpatient rates for the same procedures, according to research published in Arthroplasty Today.
Researchers studied 105 total hip or knee arthroplasty patients following a new outpatient protocol, then compared outpatient and inpatient outcomes.
The key research details to know:
1. Seventy-nine percent of patients were successfully discharged the same day as their surgery.
2. Patients who had early ambulation and shorter surgery times were more likely to be successfully discharged the same day.
3. The outpatient readmission rate was .95 percent, compared to 3.7 percent for inpatient.
4. The complication rates were 1.9 percent for the outpatient group and 2.9 percent for the inpatient group.
"Outpatient [total hip arthroplasty] and [total knee arthroplasty] in a well-selected patient is feasible in an academic multidisciplinary tertiary care hospital, with complication rates approximating inpatient surgery. The findings reported here can be used to further optimize outpatient arthroplasty protocols," researchers concluded.