Abstract
Introduction
Readmission after Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) or Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) places a great burden on the health care system. As reimbursement systems place increased emphasis on quality measures such as readmission rates, understanding the causes for readmission becomes increasingly important.
Methods
We queried an electronic database for all patients who underwent THA or TKA at our institution from 2006 through 2010. We identified those who had been readmitted within 90 days of discharge from the initial admission. We then collected clinical and demographic data as well as readmission diagnoses by ICD-9 code. We compared rates of readmission using chi-squared test.
Results
6436 patients underwent THA or TKA during the study period. Readmission rates were as follows: unilateral THA, 190 of 2546 (7.5%); bilateral THA, 0 of 13 (0%); unilateral TKA, 288 of 3553 (8.1%); bilateral TKA, 32 of 337 (9.5%), for a combined rate of 7.9%. There was no significant difference in the rate of readmission among procedures: unilateral THA, unilateral TKA and bilateral TKA (p=0.36). There were no significant differences overall by year of procedure (p=0.44). While there was a wide variety of readmission diagnoses, the top three were wound complications (ICD-9 Group 998, 18.5%), procedure-related complications (ICD-9 Group 996, 15.5%), and cellulitis (ICD-9 Group 682, 5%).
Conclusions
Readmission after THA or TKA occurs with substantial frequency. Postoperative stiffness requiring manipulation (within ICD-9 Group 996) and wound complications (within ICD-9 Group 998) are the most common reasons for readmission. Procedure-related complications and wound complications accounted for more readmissions than medical complications. A clearer understanding of the factors related to these complications, along with accurate diagnosis and coding, should make a reduction in their occurrence possible.
