ED visits after joint replacement average 1 out of every 20 patients

A recent article published in the Journal of Arthroplasty performed at University of Iowa Health Care and OrthoCarolina reported that 1 out of every 20 patients who undergo knee or hip replacement visit the emergency department (ED) in the first 30 days after surgery. Interestingly, the most common reasons for the ED visit were not life or limb-threatening. Rather, patients were going to the ED for concerns regarding their pain, surgical wound, or swelling. These are symptoms that are expected and predictable in the immediate post-op period, but nonetheless, are concerning for patients who are not properly educated or advised that these changes will occur.

Interestingly, these were similar to the results we published in our randomized clinical trial. In the group of patients recovering from knee and hip replacement without STREAMD (the control group), 1 in about 20 patients visited the ED during the first 6 weeks after surgery with post-surgical concerns. Similar to the presented study, none of these patients required admission to the hospital. In the group of patients who received their surgeon’s educational STREAMD messages (the experimental group), no patients visited the ED in the first 6 weeks. Our conclusion supported the notion that patients who received their surgeon’s messages were more informed, educated, and prepared for their home-based recovery and were able to avoid unnecessary ED visits.

We fully support Dr. Muffly's conclusion in his study saying that “perioperative strategies addressing common post-operative concerns are warranted to mitigate unnecessary ED visits after total joint replacement.” For us, STREAMD has worked very nicely to provide this education to the patients of our surgeon partners and reduce unneeded ED visits after joint replacement.