A study in the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma found that high volume arthroplasty centers show lower mortality and complication rates than lower-volume centers.
The researchers used the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System database from the New York State Department of Health to group hospitals into quartiles, based on their total hip arthroplasty volume. They went on to determine whether this patient volume affected the outcomes of patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty for displaced femoral neck fractures.
Here's what you need to know:
1. Those who underwent THA for femoral neck fracture at hospitals in the top volume quartile had a 0.9 percent rate of 30-day mortality and a 7.51 percent rate of one-year mortality, which was significantly lower than the rates at the lower-volume quartiles.
2. There was no significant difference between the second, third and fourth quartiles when considering postoperative mortality.
3. There was no significant difference between any of the volume quartiles when considering revision arthroplasty at one-year postoperation.
4. Overall, hospital volume quartile was a significant risk factor for increased 90-day complication; complications might include pulmonary embolism/deep vein thrombosis, acute dislocation or prosthetic joint infection.
5. The researchers concluded that "THA for femoral neck fractures at high volume arthroplasty centers is associated with lower mortality and 90-day complication rates but does not influence one-year revision rate."