Survey identifies physical impairment in patients 1 year after TKR

Data from the National Health and Wellness Survey show that patients with osteoarthritis who underwent total knee replacement have significantly more activity impairment and health care resource utilization at 1-year postoperatively compared to matched controls.

“About 658,000 Americans underwent total knee arthroplasties in 2012, and that’s projected to grow to 3.5 million by 2030,” Marc Pignot, PhD, senior director of Medical Device and Diagnostics Research at Kantar Health in Munich, Germany, stated in a press release.

Kantar Health conducts the National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS) in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Marc Pignot

“Unfortunately, no surgical knee treatment has an ideal safety profile, and all are limited by how long the devices last. Our survey of patients who have had a knee replacement procedure shows that they are already experiencing limitations within a year of their surgery,” Pignot stated.

Pignot and Marco DiBonaventura, PhD, identified 102 U.S. patients from the NHWS who underwent total knee replacement (TKR) in 2012 and compared their results to 102 healthy patients from the NHWS with similar sociodemographic and health histories who did not undergo TKR, but who had osteoarthritis that affected the knee joint, according to the abstract. Scores for both groups on the SF-12 version 2 and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire were compared.

Marco DiBonaventura

Overall, the researchers found patients who underwent TKR were older, more likely to be obese and more likely to drink alcohol than patients who did not undergo TKR. TKR patients also reported higher levels of physical impairment (38% vs. 27%), lower physical quality of life (42.5 points vs. 47.6 points) and more physician visits (7.3 visits vs. 4.5 visits) than controls.

“With the limited life of these devices, it’s possible young patients who have had a knee replacement surgery may have to have a revision surgery later in their lives,” Pignot said. “As these surgeries become more widespread, our data suggests they place a significant burden on patients and the healthcare system. Improved management of these patients post-surgery could have significant societal benefits.”

Reference:

Pignot M. Poster #PMS84. Presented at: International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research European Congress; Nov. 2-6, 2013; Dublin.

Disclosure: Pignot and DiBonaventura have no relevant financial disclosures.