Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery
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Arch Orthop Trauma Surg · Feb 2010
Multicenter StudyWhat determines length of stay after total hip and knee arthroplasty? A nationwide study in Denmark.
The goal of this study was (1) to identify logistical and clinical areas of importance for length of stay (LOS) by identifying departments with short and long LOS and to evaluate their set-up; and (2) to evaluate patient satisfaction in relation to LOS. ⋯ Nationwide implementation of fast-track THA and TKA would result in a significant decrease in the needed number of hospital beds with similar or better outcome for the patients. Implementation of updated logistical and clinical features is expected to increase rehabilitation and reduce LOS with similar or improved patient satisfaction. These results support the implementation of fast-track total hip- and knee arthroplasty.