Cancellation of elective orthopaedic procedures is not a benign practice and is often preventable.

Aim: To quantify the reasons for cancelled elective orthopaedic operations, in particular hip and knee arthroplasty. Secondary aims included defining how long these patients had to wait until their operation, and investigating the impact delayed surgery has on patients in terms of re-presentation to healthcare services.

Methods: We reviewed hospital records for all cancelled elective orthopaedic operations over a two-year period at a secondary hospital in New Zealand, investigated the reasons for these cancellations, wait times and comorbidities and compared total hip and knee arthroplasty to other elective orthopaedic operations.