Impact of Outpatient Total Joint Replacement on Postoperative Outcomes

Abstract

Total joint arthroplasty (TJA) has demonstrated tremendous benefits to patients with osteoarthritis. Health care reform has influenced surgeons to optimize TJA care pathways as well as playing a role in the formation of outpatient TJA protocols. Understanding the outcomes of outpatient TJA is imperative to surgical predicate decision making. The aim of this review is to compare outcomes of outpatient TJA patients to standard-stay inpatients. Postoperative outcomes assessed include pain, complications, readmissions, reoperation, patient satisfaction, and cost.

Keywords: Cost; Length of stay; Outcomes; Outpatient total joint arthroplasty; Patient-reported outcome measures; Readmission; Total hip arthroplasty; Total knee arthroplasty.