NICE issues stricter benchmark for hip prostheses in the United Kingdom

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the United Kingdom has issued a new draft guidance for hip prostheses with a stricter benchmark of a 95% success rate over 10 years in place of the current benchmark of 90% over 10 years.

“This new draft guidance for those with arthritis of the hip who have already tried nonsurgical treatments such as exercise, physical therapy or painkillers, will help ensure they receive the best possible prosthesis for them,” Carole Longson, PhD, director of the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation at National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), stated in a press release.

She added, “Importantly, as we now have more information about how long artificial joints can last, we have recommended the use of prostheses with a proven lower revision rate. This means that a new joint should work well in at least 95% of cases over 10 years, so a revision may be needed in 5% or fewer cases over this period. Our existing guidance advises that prostheses should work well in at least 90% of cases, so repeat surgery may be needed in up to 10% of cases over 10 years. The proposed improvement to the benchmark for the revision rate is good news for people with hip replacements or hip resurfacing - more people can expect their prostheses to continue working well over 10 years.”

According to the release, about 60,000 hip replacements are performed in the National Health Service in England and Wales annually, with 25,000 hip replacements performed in independent hospitals.

Reference:

http://guidance.nice.org.uk/TAG/307/Consultation/EvaluationReport/pdf/English