Orthopedics / TJR

Over the past three months, several new orthopedic ASCs were opened, announced or developed across the country.

Shane M. Smith, MD, performed the first outpatient total joint replacement surgeries in Walton County at the Athens (Ga.) Orthopedic Clinic and at the Monroe, Ga.-based Piedmont Walton Hospital, the Walton Tribune reported.

Evanston, Ill.-based NorthShore University HealthSystem's Ravi Bashyal, MD, shared his insights on outpatient joint replacement surgery in a segment on Fox 32 News.

New research published in Anesthesiology found a blood management program for patients undergoing hip or knee replacement helped reduce the number of transfusions, overall blood use and improved outcomes.

The Cryoanalgesia device reduces pain for knee replacement patients by freezing nerves that affect pain fibers, Fox59 reported.

New research published in the Journal of Arthroplasty found patients who had outpatient hip or knee arthroplasty surgery in an ASC had a higher level of satisfaction than patients who had undergone inpatient surgery.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists outlined current trends in outpatient total joint replacements in their Monitor newsletter.

Nearly five years ago, Excelsior Orthopaedics in western New York began a journey to offer outpatient total hip and knee replacement at an ambulatory surgery center.

Research published in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine shows acute pain is associated with chronic opioid use after total knee arthroplasty.

Due to advances in minimally invasive surgery techniques and more effective anesthesia, more total joint replacements are going to be performed in outpatient settings such as ASCs, according to Ortho ServiceLine.