ASA: Peri-op surgical home beneficial after joint arthroplasty

(HealthDay)—A perioperative surgical home (PSH) program improves outcomes for patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA), according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, held from Oct. 24 to 28 in San Diego.

James I. Cyriac, M.D., from the University of California Irvine, and colleagues collected data for patients undergoing elective primary TKA and THA to examine the role of the PSH. Over a two-year period, 328 patients were included in the study.

The researchers found that the median length of stay (LOS) was significantly lower in the second year of the PSH initiative (P = 0.03); median LOS was significantly lower for patients undergoing THA (P = 0.02) but did not differ between the time periods for patients undergoing TKA. Significantly more patients were discharged home than to a skilled nursing facility in the second year versus the first year (P = 0.02). In the first and second years of the PSH initiative, readmission rates within 30 days after surgery were not significantly different (0.9 and 3.3 percent, respectively). There was no significant change in the median Numerical Rating Scale for Pain scores from year one to two.

"In today's health care environment, it's especially satisfying to be part of a model of care that is achieving the triple aim of better health, better health care, and lower costs," a coauthor said in a statement.

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