J Knee Surg 2024; 37(01): 056-065
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1759704
Original Article

What Is the Safest Intersurgical Interval between Staged Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty? A Nationwide Analysis of 20,279 Patients

Xuankang Pan
1   Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio
,
Ahmed K. Emara
2   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
,
Guangjin Zhou
3   Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
,
Siran Koroukian
3   Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
,
Alison K. Klika
2   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
,
Robert M. Molloy
2   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
,
2   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
› Author Affiliations

Abstract

In staged bilateral total knee arthroplasty (BTKA), the intersurgical time is yet to be determined. This study aimed to (1) test for differences in in-hospital metrics between the index and contralateral TKA and (2) determine the safest intersurgical time interval to minimize adverse outcomes after the contralateral surgery. The National Readmissions Database was queried for patients who received staged BTKA (2016–2017). A total of 20,279 patients were included. Demographics, comorbidities, baseline determinants, and intersurgical time between index and contralateral TKAs (≤ 3 month, 4–6 months, 7–9 months, and 10–12 months intervals) were captured. Outcomes included healthcare utilization (length of stay [LOS] and nonhome discharge), in-hospital costs, and in-hospital complications. Outcomes were compared between index versus contralateral surgeries and among contralateral surgeries of various intersurgical intervals. Contralateral surgeries had shorter LOS (2.2 ± 1.9 vs. 2.4 ± 2.0 days; p < 0.001), lower nonhome discharge (n = 2692[13.2%] vs. n = 2963[14.7%]; p = 0.001), and in-hospital costs ($16,476 ± $7,404 vs. 16,774 ± $9,621; p < 0.001), but similar rates of nonmechanical (p = 0.40) complications compared with index TKA. Multivariable regression demonstrated that intersurgical time was not associated with nonmechanical complications or transfusion, or 30-day readmission (p > 0.05, each). Compared with the less than or equal to 3-month interval, the 4 to 6-month interval exhibited highest odds ratio (OR) of any infection (OR: 1.81; 95% confidence interval [CI]: [1.13–2.88]; p = 0.013), urinary tract infection (OR:1.81, 95%CI: [1.13–2.90]; p = 0.014), and any-cardiac complications (OR:1.17; 95%CI: [1.01–1.35]; p = 0.037). Patients in the 10–12-month cohort had lowest odds of posthemorrhagic anemia (OR: 0.84; 95% CI: [0.72–0.98]; p = 0.03). Overall, the second surgery of a staged BTKA has lower healthcare utilization despite similar complication rates. While patients in the 10 to 12-month intersurgical interval had the most favorable overall safety profile, no single interval exhibited consistently lower complications for all measured outcomes. Special care pathways should be optimized to care for patients undergoing staged BTKA.

Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 06 November 2021

Accepted: 18 October 2022

Article published online:
31 December 2022

© 2022. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA

 
  • References

  • 1 American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR): 2020 Annual Report. Rosemont, Am Acad Orthop Surg (AAOS), 2020
  • 2 Ferket BS, Feldman Z, Zhou J, Oei EH, Bierma-Zeinstra SMA, Mazumdar M. Impact of total knee replacement practice: cost effectiveness analysis of data from the osteoarthritis initiative. BMJ 2017; 356: j1131
  • 3 Weinstein AM, Rome BN, Reichmann WM. et al. Estimating the burden of total knee replacement in the United States. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2013; 95 (05) 385-392
  • 4 Sloan M, Premkumar A, Sheth NP. Projected volume of primary total joint arthroplasty in the U.S., 2014 to 2030. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2018; 100 (17) 1455-1460
  • 5 Konopka JF, Lee YY, Su EP, McLawhorn AS. Quality-adjusted life years after hip and knee arthroplasty: health-related quality of life after 12,782 joint replacements. JBJS Open Access 2018; 3 (03) e0007
  • 6 Liu L, Liu H, Zhang H, Song J, Zhang L. Bilateral total knee arthroplasty: Simultaneous or staged? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore) 2019; 98 (22) e15931
  • 7 Santana DC, Anis HK, Mont MA, Higuera CA, Piuzzi NS. What is the likelihood of subsequent arthroplasties after primary TKA or THA? data from the osteoarthritis initiative. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2020; 478 (01) 34-41
  • 8 McMahon M, Block JA. The risk of contralateral total knee arthroplasty after knee replacement for osteoarthritis. J Rheumatol 2003; 30 (08) 1822-1824
  • 9 Warren JA, Siddiqi A, Krebs VE, Molloy R, Higuera CA, Piuzzi NS. Bilateral simultaneous total knee arthroplasty may not be safe even in the healthiest patients. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2021; 103 (04) 303-311
  • 10 Fu D, Li G, Chen K, Zeng H, Zhang X, Cai Z. Comparison of clinical outcome between simultaneous-bilateral and staged-bilateral total knee arthroplasty: a systematic review of retrospective studies. J Arthroplasty 2013; 28 (07) 1141-1147
  • 11 Stubbs G, Pryke SER, Tewari S. et al. Safety and cost benefits of bilateral total knee replacement in an acute hospital. ANZ J Surg 2005; 75 (09) 739-746
  • 12 Lindberg-Larsen M, Pitter FT, Husted H, Kehlet H, Jørgensen CC. Lundbeck Foundation Centre for Fast-Track Hip and Knee Replacement Collaborative Group. Simultaneous vs staged bilateral total knee arthroplasty: a propensity-matched case-control study from nine fast-track centres. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg 2019; 139 (05) 709-716
  • 13 Restrepo C, Parvizi J, Dietrich T, Einhorn TA. Safety of simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty. A meta-analysis. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2007; 89 (06) 1220-1226
  • 14 Ritter MA, Harty LD, Davis KE, Meding JB, Berend M. Simultaneous bilateral, staged bilateral, and unilateral total knee arthroplasty. A survival analysis. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2003; 85 (08) 1532-1537
  • 15 Kim Y-H, Choi Y-W, Kim J-S. Simultaneous bilateral sequential total knee replacement is as safe as unilateral total knee replacement. J Bone Joint Surg Br 2009; 91 (01) 64-68
  • 16 Odum SM, Springer BD. In-hospital complication rates and associated factors after simultaneous bilateral versus unilateral total knee arthroplasty. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2014; 96 (13) 1058-1065
  • 17 Yates Jr AJ. Bilateral total knee arthroplasty should remain the exception and not the rule: Commentary on an article by Jared A. Warren, DO, ATC, CSCS, et al.: “Bilateral Simultaneous Total Knee Arthroplasty May Not Be Safe Even in the Healthiest Patients”. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2021; 103 (04) e16
  • 18 Latifi R, Thomsen MG, Kallemose T, Husted H, Troelsen A. Knee awareness and functionality after simultaneous bilateral vs unilateral total knee arthroplasty. World J Orthop 2016; 7 (03) 195-201
  • 19 Crawford DA, Adams JB, Hurst JM, Morris MJ, Berend KR, Lombardi Jr AV. Interval between staged bilateral total knee arthroplasties does not affect early medical or surgical complications. J Arthroplasty 2021; 36 (02) 537-541
  • 20 Chen AF, Rasouli MR, Vegari DN, Huang RC, Maltenfort MG, Parvizi J. Staged bilateral total knee arthroplasty: time of the second side. J Knee Surg 2015; 28 (04) 311-314
  • 21 Overview NRD. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). April 2021. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. Accessed November 6, 2022, at: www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/nrdoverview.jsp
  • 22 2017 Introduction to the NRD. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). March 2020. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. Accessed November 6, 2022, at: www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/db/nation/nrd/Introduction_NRD_2010-2017.jsp
  • 23 Lizaur-Utrilla A, Serna-Berna R, Vizcaya-Moreno MF, Martinez-Mendez D, Marco-Gomez L, Lopez-Prats FA. Comparison of functional outcomes between the first and second knee in staged bilateral total knee arthroplasty with diverse intervals between stages. J Arthroplasty 2018; 33 (09) 2863-2867
  • 24 Menendez ME, Neuhaus V, van Dijk CN, Ring D. The Elixhauser comorbidity method outperforms the Charlson index in predicting inpatient death after orthopaedic surgery. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2014; 472 (09) 2878-2886
  • 25 Mirghasemi SA, Rasouli MR, Maltenfort M, Rashidinia S, Parvizi J. Staged bilateral total knee arthroplasty: when is the second knee safe to be replaced?. Orthop Proc 2017; 99-B (SUPP_5): 22
  • 26 Gabr A, Withers D, Pope J, Santini A. Functional outcome of staged bilateral knee replacements. Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2011; 93 (07) 537-541
  • 27 Ritter M, Mamlin LA, Melfi CA, Katz BP, Freund DA, Arthur DS. Outcome implications for the timing of bilateral total knee arthroplasties. Clin Orthop Relat Res 1997; (345) 99-105