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Rapid mobilization shortens hospital stay following THA, TKA

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Overall length of hospital stay following total joint replacement can be reduced through rapid mobilization, according to a recently presented study.

“Physiotherapy promotes rehabilitation following joint replacements and improves functional outcomes,” Gregory Tayrose, MD, said in his presentation at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2012 Annual Meeting in San Francisco. “Although the ideal regimen is unknown, it has been previously demonstrated that early, multidisciplinary rehabilitation improves outcomes.”

Tayrose and his team prospectively followed 900 total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients, according to the study abstract, with 235 patients undergoing early mobilization in the recovery room on the day of their surgery. The other 665 patients, Tayrose reported, underwent standard physical therapy that began on the first postoperative day.

The authors recorded and compared rehabilitation progress and length of hospital stay for the two groups.

According to Tayrose, the rapid rehabilitation group — for both THA and TKA — demonstrated a total length of stay significantly less than that of the patients who began their therapy on the first postoperative day.

“The rapid rehabilitation hip replacement group had an average hospital length of stay of 3.7 days, whereas the routine rehabilitation group had an average length of stay of 4.6 days,” Tayrose said.

According to Tayrose, the implementation of rapid rehabilitation also can lead to a reduction in the use of hospital resources and a resulting increase in savings.

“The reduction of length of hospital stay by providing rapid rehabilitation in the recovery room following knee and hip arthroplasty provides the opportunity for financial savings at a low cost,” he concluded. “The major cost is the one therapy session provided in the recovery room. In addition, due to newly opened hospital beds, the hospital may have the resources to accommodate further joint replacement patients.”

Reference:

• Tayrose G, Newman D, Slover JD, et al. The impact of rapid mobilization on length of stay for postoperative joint replacement patients. Paper #266. Presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2012 Annual Meeting. Feb. 7-11. San Francisco.
• Disclosure: Tayrose has no relevant financial disclosures.

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