Thirty-Day Readmissions After Aseptic Revision Total Hip Arthroplasty: Rates, Predictors, and Reasons Vary by Surgical Indication

Revision total hip arthroplasty (rTHA) is performed for different surgical indications. With increasing attention being focused to minimize readmission risk, the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) was used to assess 30-day readmissions after rTHA for 3 aseptic indications.

Patients undergoing rTHA were identified in the 2013-2017 NSQIP and classified as being performed for osteolysis/aseptic loosening, recurrent dislocation, or periprosthetic fracture. Rates and predictors of 30-day readmission were determined by indication. Reasons for readmission were also assessed as being either related or unrelated to the surgical site.

Of 6104 patients meeting inclusion criteria, osteolysis/aseptic loosening represented 46% of the revisions (readmission rate: 6.2%), recurrent dislocation represented 33.2% (readmission rate: 10.9%), and periprosthetic fractures represented 20.9% (readmission rate: 9.3%). These readmission rates represented statistically significant variation across the 3 indications ( P < .0001). On multivariate analysis, demographic, procedural, and postoperative predictors of readmission varied by indication.

The osteolysis/aseptic loosening and periprosthetic fracture cohorts had surgical site-related readmissions in 43.9% and 42.4% of readmitted cases, respectively. On the contrary, readmissions after rTHA performed for recurrent dislocation were mostly surgical site-related (63.3%) and driven primarily by a postoperative dislocation. Further multivariate analysis showed that the rTHA indication of recurrent dislocation itself was the strongest predictor (odds ratio, 3.34; P < .0001) of a postoperative dislocation leading to a 30-day readmission.

Thirty-day readmissions varied from 6.2% to 10.9% based on surgical indication for aseptic rTHA. Reasons for readmission also differed across the 3 cohorts. These findings may aid postoperative care pathways and protocol optimization.