In an effort to maintain transparency and share data regarding our results for joint replacement, we reviewed our personal series for hip and knee replacement for 2010. I performed 554 joint replacement procedures; approximately 60 percent were knee replacement and 40 percent hip replacement. Of the knee replacements, 15 percent were unicompartmental or partial knee replacements. The average length of stay for my hip replacement patients was 2.6 days and for knee replacements 2.9 days. 84 percent of my patients were discharged home without in-home services. 9 percent were discharged home with visiting nurse services and 7 percent went to a rehab facility for short-term rehabilitation. These compare quite favorably to national benchmarking results. Our infection rate for hip replacement was 0.5 percent and for knee replacement 0.2 percent. The readmission within 30 days after surgery was 1.3 percent, again well below national averages.
The Joint Center at Valley Medical Center where we perform our replacement surgery was once again ranked number one in the state by Health Grades for joint replacement. This is the second year in a row that it received this distinction.
The program at Valley Medical Center which includes clinical pathways which undergo continuous refinement, specialized nursing, and a dedication to patient-family focused care enhances the experience of patients undergoing joint replacement surgery.
With regards to our Clinical Research, we just recently had our paper on computer assisted knee replacement accepted for publication in The Journal of Arthroplasty. We are presenting our experience with metal-on-metal total hips at the annual meeting of The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons in San Diego, CA. Our study comparing Anterior vs. Posterior hip replacement is almost completed. Stay tuned for results…
— William P. Barrett, MD
