RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Outcomes and motives for not proceeding with the second stage bilateral knee replacement: a comparison of cancelled and completed bilateral total knee arthroplasty
JF Canadian Journal of Surgery
JO CAN J SURG
FD Canadian Medical Association
SP E97
OP E102
DO 10.1503/cjs.008621
VO 66
IS 1
A1 Robert Longstaffe
A1 Kamran Shahid
A1 Angela Verrelli
A1 Lynda Loucks
A1 Eric Bohm
YR 2023
UL http://canjsurg.ca/content/66/1/E97.abstract
AB Background: Staged bilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a common treatment option for patients with bilateral symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, yet some patients do not proceed with their second procedure. Our study aimed to identify the rate and reasons why patients did not proceed with their second procedure and compare their functional outcomes, satisfaction and complication rates with those of patients who had completed a staged bilateral TKA.Methods: We determined the proportion of patients who underwent TKA but did not proceed with planned surgery for the second knee within 2 years, and compared their satisfaction with surgery, improvement in the Oxford Knee Score (OKS) and complications between groups.Results: Our study included 268 patients: 220 patients who underwent staged bilateral TKA and 48 patients who cancelled their second procedure. The most common reason for not proceeding with the second procedure was a slow recovery after the first TKA (43.2%), followed by functional improvement in symptoms in the unoperated knee negating the need for surgery (27.3%), poor experience with the first surgery (22.7%), treatment of other comorbidities necessitating cancellation of their second procedure (4.6%) and employment reasons (2.3%). Patients who cancelled their second procedure were noted to have a worse postoperative OKS improvement (p < 0.001) and lower satisfaction rate (p < 0.001), than patients who underwent staged bilateral TKA.Conclusion: About one-fifth of patients scheduled for staged bilateral TKA declined to proceed with the second knee surgery within 2 years showing a substantially decreased functional outcome and satisfaction rate. However, more than one-quarter (27.3%) of patients noted improvements in their contralateral (unoperated) knee, such that a second surgery was no longer felt to be necessary.