Reasons for Unsuccessful Same-Day Discharge Following Outpatient Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: 5½ Years’ Experience From a Single Institution

Outpatient joint arthroplasty (OJA) is considered safe and feasible in selected patients but should be further optimized to improve success rates. The purposes of this study are to (1) identify the main reasons of unsuccessful same-day discharge (SDD) following hip and knee arthroplasty; (2) determine the hospital length of stay (LOS) following unsuccessful SDD; and (3) assess which independent variables are related to specific reasons for unsuccessful SDD.

Five hundred twenty-five patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA), total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and unicompartmental knee arthroplasty between 2013 and 2019 were retrospectively identified. SDD to home was planned in all patients. Specific reasons for unsuccessful SDD and LOS were assessed. Bivariate analysis was performed to find differences in independent variables between patients experiencing a specific reason for unsuccessful SDD and control patients.

One hundred ten patients (21%) underwent unsuccessful SDD. The main reason was postoperative reduced motor function and sensory disturbances (33%). The mean LOS in the unsuccessful SDD group was 1.7 days (standard deviation ± 1.0 days). Postoperative transient reduced motor function and sensory disturbances occurred more often in patients undergoing TKA ( P < .001).

An option for overnight stay should be available when performing outpatient hip and knee arthroplasty. The main reason for unsuccessful SDD in this study was transient postoperative reduced motor function and sensory disturbance, most likely due to intraoperative local infiltration analgesia in TKA. No other studies have found local infiltration analgesia to be an issue preventing SDD.