Abstract
In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the use of simultaneous hip arthroplasty compared to staged procedures in patients with bilateral pathology. The aim of this study was to compare simultaneous and staged hip arthroplasty in patients with bilateral pathology by assessing the transfusion rate, postoperative hemoglobin drop, length of stay (LOS), in-hospital complications, 30-days readmissions, leg length difference and early functional outcome.
We conducted a retrospective cohort study that included all patients who were undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) by a single surgeon in a high-volume arthroplasty center between 2015 and 2020 as simultaneous or staged procedures. Staged bilateral arthroplasties were performed within 12 months and were stratified by the time between procedures. Data was acquired through the electronic files at the Orthopädische Chirurgie München (OCM). For functional outcome we compared the ability of the patients to walk independently on the ward and the ability to walk a set of stairs alone which was recorded daily by the attending physiotherapist.
In total n=290 patients were assessed for eligibility and included in this study. One hundred and thirty eight patients were allocated to the staged arthroplasty group. The second staged procedure was performed within 12 months of the first procedure. One hundred and fifty two patients were allocated to the simultaneous arthroplasty group. No statistical difference was found between the two groups regarding demographic data. Primary outcome measurements: There was no significant difference in transfusion rate or complication rate (p=0.1147). In both groups the transfusion rate was actually 0%. Secondarily, no statistically significant difference was found between the postoperative hemoglobin drop (p=0.1147) and the functional outcome (p=0.7249), nor the length of stay (LOS) (p=: 0.6415), as well as the 30 days readmission rate between both groups. No difference was found in leg length in the simultaneous group. The OR time in the simultaneous group ranged from 62min to 111min with an average of 77min. No surgery exceeded a 120min window.
We observed no significant differences in transfusion rate, in hospital complications, as well as readmission rate between both groups. The early functional outcome showed no significant difference in mobility. Simultaneous hip arthroplasty is as safe as a staged procedure, with no higher risk for the patient, in a specialized high volume center with a specialized surgeon and an adequate team. Level of evidence: Level IV
