A study, published in The Journal of Arthroplasty, examined total hip and total knee arthroplasty readmission, reoperation and complication rates.
Researchers used The National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database to identify 94,325 THA procedures and 147,160 TKA procedures. They compared length of stay, discharge disposition and 30-day readmission, reoperation and complication rates between the procedures using multivariate regression models.
Here's what they found.
1. Length of stay and discharge disposition were the same between the procedures.
2. THA had a higher 30-day readmission and 30-day reoperation rate than TKA.
3. Of the 18 types of complications spanning all the cases, seven were higher in THA, three were higher in TKA and eight were similar between the two procedures.
Researchers concluded, "THA patients had higher 30-day rates of readmission and reoperation. As both readmissions and reoperations can result in higher episode costs, a common target price for both THA and TKA may be inappropriate. Further studies are required to fully understand the extent of differences in the episode costs of THA and TKA."