Total Joint Replacement Educational Series Part 6: Surprising Statistics About Knee and Hip Replacement Surgery
(from The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, Volume 89-A, Number
12, December 2007)
·
The upward trends in the utilization of total hip and
knee replacement between 1969 and 2003 detail the national need for these
procedures.
·
The age and gender-adjusted incidence per 100,000
person-years significantly increased from 1971 to 2003, representing a greater than 400%
increase in the incidence of total knee replacement (as compared with a 55%
increase in total hip replacement during the same period).
·
There was a significantly higher utilization rate
for women.
·
The incidence increased with the patient's age for
total knee replacement, except in patients more than eighty years old.
·
The largest percentage increase was in patients less
than fifty years old.
·
There was a significant increase in the proportion of
total knee replacements performed for the treatment of osteoarthritis, from 51%
during 1971-1975 to 92% in 2000- 2003.
·
This also reflects a reduction in the incidence of
total knee replacements performed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis
over the same period.
·
It is projected that the number of primary total
knee replacements will increase from 450,400 to 3.48 million by 2030,
compared with a growth in the number of primary total hip replacements
from 208,600 to 572,100 during the same interval.
·
The volume of revision total hip replacements is
projected to grow from 40,800 in 2005 to 96,700 in 2030 (a 137% increase).
·
The volume of revision total knee replacements is
projected to grow from 38,300 in 2005 to 268, 200 in 2030 (a 600% increase).
·
The continued and rapid growth of utilization of total
knee replacement reflects a trend that will require additional resources in the
future.
·
This dramatically increased demand for replacement
procedures will require additional discussions regarding the distribution of
economic resources; the allocation of surgeons, facilities and resources; and improved
operative efficiency.
·
Additionally, given the growth in the number of
procedures in the younger, more active patients, implant longevity will require
further enhancement.
Hello Doc,
I pray there will be enough men and women interested in orthopaedics to continue.
Our health insurance companies discourage many now.
Changes will have to be entertained in the future to entice men and women to pursue the medical fields as a career. It is a very demanding and often exhausting life choice. Not many will be willing to make it if they see no reward for their sacrifices.
Too many docs now are told by the insurance companies they can't proceed with the best the course of interest for the patient.
These people who pay for the insurance can't benefit.
Yes, different courses must be explored for all, the MDs, patients, and companies who provide services for all to survive.
I am very glad there are many MDs still willing to fight for their patients and their patients' needs. It takes so much of their valuable time away from the reason they pursued a medical career in the first place. Bravo to all of them!
Jackie