A study in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders compared preoperative patient characteristics for patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty procedures in Switzerland and the United States.
The researchers identified and evaluated patient characteristics from 6,680 primary total knee arthroplasties in the United States and 823 TKAs in Switzerland; 4,647 primary total hip arthroplasties in the United States and 1,023 THAs in Switzerland.
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1. When considering TKA in the United States, patients were younger (mean age of 67 years of age, compared with 72 years of age in Switzerland), more obese, had higher levels of education and more cardiac disease.
2. When considering TKA in Switzerland, patients had lower preoperative pain scores.
3. When considering THA in the United States, patients were younger (mean age of 65 years of age, compared with 68 years of age in Switzerland), more obese, had higher levels of education and had more diabetes.
4. When considering THA in Switzerland, patients had lower preoperative pain scores and lower mental health scores.
5. Overall, TKA and THA patients in both countries had comparable preoperative physical disability scores.
The researchers concluded: "We found substantial differences between U.S. and Swiss cohorts in preoperative patient characteristics and pain levels, which has potentially important implications for cross-cultural comparison of TKA/THA outcomes."