Utilization of Total Knee Arthroplasty in the United States by Settlement Type: Is There Equity of Access?

Introduction: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is one of the most commonly performed orthopaedic surgeries in the United States, yet little information exists regarding its utilization in different settlement types. This study aimed to determine the number of TKA-performing surgeons by settlement type and assess trends in the volume of TKAs in urban, micropolitan, small town, and rural settings.

Methods: Using the Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data: Physician and Other Practitioners database, the number of orthopaedic surgeons performing primary and revision TKAs from 2013 to 2020 was determined.

Techniques of core decompression in the treatment of idiopathic avascular necrosis of the femoral head.

Core decompression was developed as a joint-preserving procedure for patients with early-stage osteonecrosis of the femoral head. Previous studies indicated a high success rate that outperforms nonoperative management of pre-collapse hips. The traditional single-tunnel core decompression technique uses a cannulated drill bit inserted into the lateral cortex of the proximal femur.

Do Overall Weight, Body Mass Index, or Clinically Significant Weight Changes Occur After Total Joint Arthroplasty? A Meta-Analysis of 60,837 Patients.

Background: Total joint arthroplasty (TJA) is well-recognized for improving quality of life and functional outcomes of patients with osteoarthritis; however, TJA's impact on body weight remains unclear. Recent trends have demonstrated a shift among TJA patients, such that patients who have higher body mass indices (BMIs) are undergoing this common surgery. Given this trend, it is critical to characterize the impact TJA has on body weight or BMI.

A Longitudinal analysis of weight changes before and after total hip arthroplasty: Weight trends, patterns, and predictors.

Background: It is crucial to understand weight trends in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA).

Objective: To evaluate preoperative and postoperative weight trends for patients undergoing primary THA and factors associated with clinically significant weight change.

Methods: A prospective cohort who underwent primary unilateral THA (n= 3,011) at a tertiary healthcare system (January 2016 to December 2019) were included in the study.

Comparing the Rate of Dissolution of Two Commercially Available Synthetic Bone Graft Substitutes.

This study characterized the dissolution properties of two commercially available bone substitutes: (1) A calcium sulfate (CaS)/brushite/β-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) graft containing 75% CaS and 25% calcium phosphate; and (2) a CaS/hydroxyapatite (HA) bone graft substitute composed of 60% CaS and 40% HA. Graft material was cast into pellets (4.8 mm outer diameter × 3.

Predictive Modeling of Medical and Orthopaedic-Related 90-Day-Readmissions Following Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: As the demand for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) escalates, 90-day readmissions have emerged as a pressing clinical and economic concern for the current value-based health care system. Consequently, health care providers have focused on estimating the risk levels of readmitted patients; however, it is unknown if specific factors are associated with different types of complications (ie, medical or orthopaedic-related) that lead to readmissions. Therefore, this study aimed to (1) determine the overall, medical-related, and orthopaedic-related 90-day readmission rate and (2) develop a predictive model for risk factors affecting overall, medical-related, and orthopaedic-related 90-day readmissions following TKA.

Predictive Modeling of Medical- and Orthopaedic-Related 90-Day Readmissions Following Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty.

Background: The rate of unplanned hospital readmissions following total hip arthroplasty (THA) varies from 3 to 10%, representing a major economic burden. However, it is unknown if specific factors are associated with different types of complications (ie, medical or orthopaedic-related) that lead to readmissions. Therefore, this study aimed to: (1) determine the overall, medical-related, and orthopaedic-related 90-day readmission rate; and (2) develop a predictive model for risk factors affecting overall, medical-related, and orthopaedic-related 90-day readmissions following THA.

Recognizing the Sex Disparity in Surgeons Performing Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: There is an unambiguous sex disparity in the field of orthopaedic surgery, with women making up only 7.4% of practicing orthopaedic surgeons in 2022. This study seeks to evaluate the sex distribution among orthopaedic surgeons engaged in primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) between 2013 and 2020, as well as the procedural volume attributed to each provider.

Medicare's Post-Acute Care Reimbursement Models as of 2023: Past, Present, and Future.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is continually working to mitigate unnecessary expenditures, particularly in post-acute care (PAC). Medicare reimburses for orthopaedic surgeon services in varied models, including fee-for-service, bundled payments, and merit-based incentive payment systems. The goal of these models is to improve the quality of care, reduce health-care costs, and encourage providers to adopt innovative and efficient health-care practices.

How to Raise the Bar in the Capture of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Total Joint Arthroplasty: Results from Active and Passive Follow-up Measures.

Background: With the upcoming U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2027 policy for mandatory reporting of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for total hip or knee arthroplasty (THA or TKA), it is important to evaluate the resources required to achieve adequate PROM collection and reporting at a clinically relevant rate of follow-up.

Does Your Patient Need to Lose Weight? Weight Change Before and After Total Hip Arthroplasty Does Not Affect Health Care Utilization and Achievement of the Minimal Clinically Important Difference.

Background: Despite the potential negative impact of preoperative obesity on total hip arthroplasty (THA) outcomes, the association between preoperative and postoperative weight change and outcomes is much less understood. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the impact of preoperative and postoperative weight change and preoperative body mass index (BMI) on health care utilization, satisfaction, and achievement of minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score Physical Function Short-Form (HOOS PS) and HOOS Pain.

Methods: Patients who underwent primary elective unilateral THA between January 2016 and December 2019 were included (N = 2,868).

Lower 90-day inpatient readmission and 1-year reoperation in patients undergoing robotic versus manual total hip arthroplasty through an anterior approach.

Background: The value of robotic-assisted total hip arthroplasty (rTHA) has yet to be determined compared to conventional manual THA (mTHA).

Objective: Evaluate 90-day inpatient readmission rates, rates of reoperation, and clinically significant improvement of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) at 1-year in a cohort of patients who underwent mTHA or rTHA through a direct anterior (DA) approach.

Methods: A single-surgeon, prospective institutional cohort of 362 patients who underwent primary THA for osteoarthritis via the DA approach between February 2019 and November 2020 were included.

Diagnosis-Specific Thresholds of the Minimal Clinically Important Difference and Patient Acceptable Symptom State for KOOS After Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Update: This article was updated on May 1, 2024 because of a previous error, which was discovered after the preliminary version of the article was posted online. The byline that had read "Ahmed K. Emara, MD 1 *, Ignacio Pasqualini, MD 1 *, Alison K.

What Are the Diagnosis-Specific Thresholds of Minimal Clinically Important Difference and Patient Acceptable Symptom State in Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score After Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty?

Background: This study aimed to determine the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) and Patient Acceptable Symptom State (PASS) thresholds for Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) pain, physical short form (PS), and joint replacement (JR) 1 year after primary total hip arthroplasty stratified by preoperative diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA) versus non-OA.

Methods: A prospective institutional cohort of 5,887 patients who underwent primary total hip arthroplasty (January 2016 to December 2018) was included. There were 4,184 patients (77.

Challenging the Status Quo: Debunking the Necessity of 5-Year to 10-Year Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasties.

Background: In the current shift toward value-based healthcare, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) have become essential to assess the effectiveness of medical interventions. However, elucidation of the optimal timeframe for PROMs evaluation remains crucial. This study aimed to (1) determine the proportion of patients who experienced clinically meaningful improvements in PROMs scores at each follow-up visit after total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and (2) calculate and apply the clinical relevance ratio (CRR) for these long-term PROM collections postoperatively.

A Longitudinal Analysis of Weight Changes before and after Total Knee Arthroplasty: Weight Trends, Patterns, and Predictors.

Longitudinal data on patient trends in body mass index (BMI) and the proportion that gains or loses significant weight before and after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are scarce. This study aimed to observe patients longitudinally for a 2-year period and determine (1) clinically significant BMI changes during the 1 year before and 1 year after TKA and (2) identify factors associated with clinically significant weight changes.A prospective cohort of 5,388 patients who underwent primary TKA at a tertiary health care institution between January 2016 and December 2019 was analyzed.

What Drives the Material Costs of Total Knee Arthroplasty in the Operating Room?

Introduction: Approximately one-third of US healthcare spending is related to surgical care. Optimizing operating room (OR) spending is crucial, specifically for high-volume procedures like total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Therefore, the primary objective was to identify leading material drivers of cost for TKA procedures within the OR.

What is the Efficacy of Intra-Articular Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections for Knee Osteoarthritis in Clinical Practice? A "Real-Life" Prospective Cohort.

Introduction: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections may improve symptoms in patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis. However, there is a lack of data on its effectiveness in a "real-life" cohort. This multi-site institutional registry study aimed to assess patients' longitudinal progress after PRP injection for knee osteoarthritis.

Establishing patient-centered metrics for the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score following medial unicompartmental knee arthropalsty.

Background: This study aimed to determine the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) and the patient acceptable symptoms state (PASS) threshold for the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS) pain subscore, KOOS physical short form (PS), and KOOS joint replacement (JR) following medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (mUKA).

Methods: Prospectively collected data from 743 patients undergoing mUKA from a single academic institution from April 2015 through March 2020 were analyzed. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were collected both pre-operatively and 1-year post-operatively.

Intraincisional Pin Placement is Safe for Robotic-Assisted Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: While robotic-arm assisted total knee arthroplasty (RA-TKA) has seen a major increase in its utilization, it requires bone array pins to be fixed into the femur and tibia, which intrinsically carries a risk. As it is currently off-label with some robotic platforms to place pins intraincisional, we aimed to evaluate the safety of intraincisional pin placement during RA-TKAs.

Methods: A prospective cohort of 2,343 patients who underwent RA-TKA at a North American Healthcare System between January 2018 and March 2022 was included.

Effect of operative time in outcomes following surgical fixation of hip fractures: a multivariable regression analysis of 35,710 patients.

Background: Prolonged operative time is a risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality after open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of hip fractures. However, the quantitative nature of such association, including graduated risk levels, has yet to be described. This study outlines the graduated associations between operative time and (1) healthcare utilisation, and (2) 30-day complications after ORIF of hip fractures.

Forty-Six Years of Technological Innovation in Musculoskeletal Medicine: An Analysis of a Patent Database (1973 to 2018).

Background: Technological innovation in orthopaedics is key to advancing patient care. As emerging technologies near maturity, clinicians must be able to objectively assess where and when these technologies can be implemented. Patent databases are an underappreciated resource for quantifying innovation, especially within orthopaedic surgery.

Robotic-Assisted Conversion of a Failed Medial Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty to Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Case Report.

Case: An 81-year-old man with a history of left medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (mUKA) 8 years prior presented to the outpatient clinic with gradually increasing medial left knee pain of 6 years of duration. He underwent left conversion robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty (RA TKA). At 1-year follow-up, the patient reported satisfactory clinical outcomes and excellent component alignment on x-rays.