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April 4, 2014

The number of revision total knee replacement surgeries continues to increase with periprosthetic joint infection and mechanical loosening found to be the most common reasons for revision, according to data presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting.

… “Understanding the cause of TKA failure, the types of revision TKA procedures being performed, and the resource utilization associated with these procedures is essential to improving TKA outcomes.”

Researchers used a Nationwide Inpatient Sample to evaluate the cause of failure for 301,718 revision TKA procedures performed between 2005 and 2010 and compared patient characteristics, procedure information and resource utilization across revision TKA procedures.

They found that the number of revision TKA procedures increased from 48,260 in 2006 to 67,534 in 2010. Revision TKA procedures were more common in women and most commonly performed in patients between the ages of 65 years to 74 year.

… Periprosthetic joint infection and mechanical loosening were the most common reasons for revision, accounting for revision in 25% and 18% of patients, respectively…