Overnight or Short Stay Joint Replacements in the Public and Private settings: An Australian Experience.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15438/rr.11.1.283Keywords:
Knee replacement, Hip replacement, Arthroplasty, Enhanced recovery after surgery, Cost-effectivenessAbstract
Introduction:
In today’s post COVID 19 world, many healthcare systems have been pushed past the brink of economic sustainability. With Total Hip (THR) and Knee Replacements (TKR) being a few of the biggest ticket items, the need to adopt methods that improve quality of care & reduce unnecessary costs, is imperative. In this context, we report our experience with a Short Stay / Overnight joint replacement model using an ERAS (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery) Protocol which promotes rapid post-operative recovery and a decreased LOS without an increase in complications or readmission rates.
Method:
Retrospective collection of clinical & demographic data was undertaken for 114 consecutive patients undergoing primary THR or TKR by a single surgeon between 1 January 2018 and 19 March 2020 at 2 hospitals (1 public, 1 private). The data was analyzed for LOS, complications & readmission rates within 90 days after surgery.
Results:
In THR (n=93) and TKR (n=21), mean LOS was1.54 nights (range 0 - 4). 8 patients were discharged to a rehabilitation facility, the remaining 106 were discharged home. 2 patients were readmitted within 90 days of surgery - one with a periprosthetic fracture and the other for an unrelated respiratory illness.
Conclusion:
The implementation of a Short Stay model and associated ERAS protocols in both the public and private hospital settings reduced LOS without a concomitant increase in postoperative complications or readmission rates.
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