Study Finds Patient Outcomes At One Year After Surgery Reliably Predict Longer-Term Outcomes
For Immediate Release
November 14, 2021
Dallas – A presentation at the 2021 AAHKS Annual Meeting examined whether the two-year minimum follow up after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) required by most academic journals was necessary for an accurate assessment of patient outcomes after primary TKA.
The two-year follow-up requirement is based on historical implant survivorship studies rather than patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). The COVID-19 pandemic limited in-person clinic visits and made obtaining two-year follow-up PROMS difficult. This study sought to determine if clinically meaningful differences are observed in PROMs beyond the first year following TKA.
Researchers performed a retrospective review of prospectively collected PROMs for 1,093 primary TKAs at an academic center. Patients rated changes in pain, function, activity level, and satisfaction; results were compared at four follow-up intervals—preoperatively, four months, one year, and minimum two years using repeated measures analysis.
Lead author Abhijit Seetharam, MD, and co-authors Evan R. Deckard, BS, Mary Ziemba-Davis, BA, and R. Michael Meneghini, MD, found that PROMs at pre-surgery, four months after, and one year after surgery improved with statistical and clinical significance. However, improvements from one-year to two-year follow-up were small and did not show significant differences.
Researchers concluded that one-year PROMs were as clinically reliable and meaningful as two-year PROMs. While long-term follow up after TKA remains important for implant survivorship and function, these findings question the necessity of in-person visits to collect PROMs beyond one year and suggest that one-year outcomes are reliably predictive of longer-term outcomes for peer-reviewed publication.
The study received the AAHKS Clinical Research Award during the 2021 Annual Meeting. This award is given annually in recognition of an outstanding clinical paper in the field of hip and knee arthroplasty.
Abstract: https://meeting.aahks.org/wp-content/uploads/2021-FINAL-Printed-Program-Book-pages-49.pdf
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About the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons
Established in 1991, the mission of AAHKS is to advance hip and knee patient care through education and advocacy. AAHKS has a membership of over 4,000 surgeons and other hip and knee health care professionals.
