Can a Total Knee Arthroplasty Perioperative Surgical Home Close the Gap Between Primary and Revision TKA Outcomes?

Given the steady increase in the number of primary and revision total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) performed in the United States, we wanted to determine if an evidence-based TKA perioperative surgical home could close the perioperative morbidity gap between primary and revision TKAs. We conducted a prospective cross-sectional cohort study comparing outcomes of patients who had primary TKA (n = 235) with outcomes of patients who had revision TKA (n = 50). We measured several perioperative outcomes: length of stay, discharge disposition, 30-day readmission rate, and 30-day reoperation rate. Mean length of stay was 2.55 days for primary TKA and 2.92 days for revision TKA (P = .061). Eighty (34%) of the 235 primary TKA patients and 21 (41%) of the 51 revision TKA patients were discharged to a subacute nursing facility (P = .123). One primary TKA patient (0.4%) and 2 revision TKA patients (4%) were readmitted within 30 days after surgery (P = .081). None of the primary TKAs and 2 (4%) of the revision TKAs underwent reoperation (P = .993). There was no difference in perioperative outcomes between the primary and revision TKA groups in our Total Joint Replacement Perioperative Surgical Home (TJR-PSH) cohort. Advances in multidisciplinary co-management of TKA patients are highlighted in the TJR-PSH. The similarity in primary and revision TKA outcomes has significant implications regarding costs and potential increased patient satisfaction.