The majority of patients report high success and satisfaction with total joint arthroplasties performed at outpatient academic medical centers, according to a new study presented at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons' annual meeting.
Patients who underwent these procedures in the ASC setting also had higher satisfaction rates, lower readmission rates and shorter discharge times, according to a March 7 press release.
Total knee and hip arthroplasties are among the most common surgeries in the U.S., and some predictions estimate that over half will occur in ASCs and outpatient facilities by 2026.
For the study, researchers examined 281 patients who underwent total joint arthroplasty or unicondylar knee arthroplasty on an outpatient basis at two large academic medical centers between May 1, 2018, and Dec. 31, 2021.
Patients were surveyed on if they would repeat the surgery and were asked to rank experiences with same-day discharge, readmission and reoperation. Patients also scored postoperative pain, stiffness and difficulty moving.
Of all of the patients, 94.6 would undergo their procedure in an outpatient setting again, and 92.7 percent would choose to be discharged the same day again.
Readmission rates were low, with 3 percent of total hip arthroplasty, 2.9 percent of total knee arthroplasty and 5.6 percent of unicondylar knee arthroplasty patients being readmitted. There were no repeated readmissions.