Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Patient-reported satisfaction is a critical measure in understanding the clinical success of total knee arthroplasty. Yet, satisfaction levels in TKA patients are generally lower than THA patients; and surgeon-patient agreeability regarding clinical success is typically in discordance. Thus, the purpose of this evaluation was to report on the one-year satisfaction data of a group of sensor-assisted TKA patients, and compare that data to the average satisfaction reported in literature, as measured by a meta-analysis.
METHODS
One hundred and thirty five patients received TKA utilizing intra-operative sensing technology to evaluate soft-tissue balance as part of a prospective multicenter study. Patients were classified by two groups: “balanced” and “unbalanced”. Quantitative “balance” was defined as a mediolateral intercompartmental loading difference of ≤ 15 pounds; all loading exceeding 15 pounds was classified as “unbalanced”. At the one-year follow-up visit, a 7-question patient satisfaction survey was administered. The answering schema of this survey was modeled using a modified five-point Likert scale, ranging from “True” to “False” (or “Very Satisfied” to “Very Dissatisfied,” where appropriate). A meta-analysis of literature was performed and studies selected for inclusion in this analysis were required to meet the following criteria: all patients were in receipt of a primary TKA; satisfaction data was collected post-operatively; and the proportion of patients who were “satisfied” to “very satisfied” was statistically described.
RESULTS
The overall satisfaction of sensor-assisted patients—indicating “satisfied” to “very satisfied”—at one-year, was 94.2%. The satisfaction levels, stratified by “balanced” and “unbalanced” patients, was 96.7% and 82.1%, respectively. The difference between the satisfaction of balanced and unbalanced patients is statistically significant (P=0.043). Twelve studies were included in the meta-analysis, which yielded a significant amount of homogeneity (B-F=3.048; homogeneity<0.001; df=11) [Figure 1]. The average satisfaction reported in literature for TKA patients is 81%, which is 16% lower than the balanced patients in the prospective patient group (P<0.001). It was found that, on average, 81% of TKA patients, as reported in the included meta-analysis literature, were “satisfied” to “very satisfied”. This represents a 16% decrease from the balanced cohort evaluated in this study (P=0.001). The average satisfaction reported in literature was more in agreement with the unbalanced cohort (82.1%)
DISCUSSION
Quantifiably balanced TKA patients, verified by intraoperative sensors, exhibited significantly higher satisfaction than unbalanced patients at 1- year post-operatively (P<0.001). Specifically, the number of satisfied, balanced patients was 14.6% higher than satisfied unbalanced patients. The meta-analysis provided the opportunity to reasonably compare the average satisfaction across all included literature. The highest reported satisfaction among the evaluated literature was 90.3%, which is still 6.4% lower than the balanced patient group (P=0.045). The results of this study suggest that there may be a way to improve patient satisfaction in TKA. By verifiably balancing soft-tissues of the sensor-assisted TKA group, marked improvement in satisfaction scores was seen at one year. These trends toward better function and higher satisfaction are promising for the future of clinical success in TKA. Longer follow-up is ongoing and will be used to determine the longevity of this encouraging trend.
