Abstract
Introduction
Perioperative hospital adverse events are an issue that every surgeon endeavors to avoid and minimize as much as possible. Even “minor events” such as fever or tachycardia may lead to significant costs due to workup tests, inter-consultations, and/or increased hospital stay. The objective of this study was compare perioperative outcomes (hospital length of stay [LOS], discharge disposition), rates of in-hospital adverse events and transfusion, and postoperative readmission and reoperation rates for simultaneous and staged bilateral direct anterior total hip arthroplasty (DA-THA) patients.
Methods
A retrospective chart review was conducted on a consecutive series of 411 primary bilateral DA-THAs performed between 2010 and 2016 at a single institution by two fellowship trained surgeons. These were categorized as: (1) simultaneous (same anesthesia, n=122) and (2) staged (different hospitalizations, n=289). The mean time between staged surgeries was 468 days (± 414 days). Baseline patient demographics as well as hospital LOS, discharge disposition (home vs. other), hospital adverse events (i.e., nausea, vomiting, tachycardia, fever, confusion, pulmonary embolism, etc.), blood transfusions, and unplanned hospital readmissions and reoperations within 90 days were collected. Groups were compared using independent –tests, Fisher's exact test, and Pearson Chi-Square.
Results
Overall, the baseline patient characteristics of the simultaneous DA-THA group had significantly younger patients, a higher proportion of males, and twice the proportion of patients with ASA 1 status compared with the staged DA-THA group. The simultaneous group showed statistically significant longer LOS (2.6 vs. 1.8 days, p<0.001) and an increased proportion of patients discharged to an extended care facility (23% vs. 5.9%, p<0.001). The overall rate of hospital adverse events in the series was 136/411 (33.1%), with a higher rate in the simultaneous DA-THA patients (54.1% vs. 24.2%, p<0.001). Transfusion rate was higher in the simultaneous DA-THA group (45.9%) compared to the staged group (6.9%) (p<0.001). There were no readmissions and a single reoperation in the staged DA-THA group at 90 days postoperative.
Conclusion
These data show that bilateral DA-THAs performed in a staged fashion, rather than simultaneously, have a shorter hospital LOS and decreased rates of hospital adverse events and transfusions.
