How Better Preoperative Planning Can Help Improve Patient Recovery
- The longer the surgery, the greater the risk of post-surgical complications for patients.
- Since most THAs and TKAs are elective procedures, better pre-operative planning can help improve patient outcomes.
Surgical Time Affects Post-Surgical Complications
According to a study by the University of Chicago, patients who undergo THA or TKA surgery longer than 87 minutes are at a higher risk of wound complications. Longer surgical times also increase the risk of sepsis. And a review of over 200,000 TKAs performed in the United States showed that the operative time was strongly related to patient Length of Stay (LOS). LOS is a significant factor affecting patient outcomes. And though rare after total joint surgery in the United States, longer surgical times are associated with sepsis - a severe complication that can elevate a patient’s mortality rate.