• The proportion of TKR patients discharged with home health care increased from 19.1% in 2000 to 40.5 % in 2009; and the number of THR patients, from 18.9% in 2000 to 40.8% in 2009.
• Race and gender distribution have remained relatively stable for TKR, RTKR, THR, and RTHR.
“Our data demonstrate that increases in the number of primary and revision knee and hip arthroplasties have been driven predominately by increased procedural rates, as opposed to population demographics,” said lead study author Jacob M. Drew, MD, of the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
In addition, “while shifts in age strata seem to be ongoing, race and gender distribution have remained relatively stable for both TKR and THR,” said Dr. Drew. “This suggests that well-documented racial disparity in total joint replacement (TJR) persists, and that there remains a substantial population in whom TJR is underutilized.”