New Australian joint registry report examines effect of surgical experience on patient outcomes

The Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry released a new analysis on whether surgical outcomes are impacted by surgical experience.

“While there are many factors involved including the type of replacement used, the general findings revealed that while surgeons who have been operating for more than 8 years have excellent results, less experienced surgeons can obtain just as good a result,” John Owen, MBBS, FRACS, FAOrthA, president of the Australian Orthopaedic Association, stated in an Australian Orthopaedic Association (AOA) press release.

There were 86,738 total hip and total knee replacements performed in Australia in 2012 and 799,815 procedures performed overall in Australia since the registry was started in 1999. In total, 209,756 hip replacements have been performed in women compared with 160,831 hip replacements in men; 240,099 knee replacements have been performed compared with 189,129 knee replacements in men. The median age for women undergoing hip replacements and knee replacements is 73 years and 69 years, respectively, compared with 73 years for both hip and knee replacements in women.

To view the full report, click here.

Reference:
www.aoa.org.au