The Association of Season of Surgery and Patient Reported Outcomes following Total Hip Arthroplasty

Andrew D Lachance; Catherine Call; Zachary Radford; Henry Stoddard; Callahan Sturgeon; George Babikian; Adam Rana; Brian J McGrory

doi:10.1177/21514593241227805

The Association of Season of Surgery and Patient Reported Outcomes following Total Hip Arthroplasty

Geriatr Orthop Surg Rehabil. 2024 Jan 12:15:21514593241227805. doi: 10.1177/21514593241227805. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Andrew D Lachance¹, Catherine Call², Zachary Radford³, Henry Stoddard⁴, Callahan Sturgeon⁵, George Babikian⁵, Adam Rana^{5

6}, Brian J McGrory^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Guthrie Clinic, Sayre, PA, USA.
² Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
³ Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
⁴ Maine Health Institute for Research, Scarborough, ME, USA.
⁵ Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME, USA.
⁶ Tufts University School of Medicine, Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME, USA.

Abstract

Background: Understanding the impact of situational variables on surgical recovery can improve outcomes in total hip arthroplasty (THA). Literature examining hospital outcomes by season remains inconclusive, with limited focus on patient experience. The aim of this study is to investigate if there are differences in hospital and patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMS) after THA depending on the season of the index procedure to improve surgeon preoperative counseling.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on patients undergoing primary THA at a single large academic center between January 2013 and August 2020. Demographic, operative, hospital, and PROMs were gathered from the institutional electronic medical record and our institutional joint replacement outcomes database.

Results: 6418 patients underwent primary THA and met inclusion criteria. Of this patient population, 1636 underwent surgery in winter, 1543 in spring, 1811 in summer, and 1428 in fall. PROMs were equivalent across seasons at nearly time points. The average age of patients was 65 (+/- 10) years, with an average BMI of 29.3 (+/- 6). Rates of complications including ED visits within 30 days, readmission within 90 days, unplanned readmission, dislocation, fracture, or wound infection were not significantly different by season (P > .05).

Conclusion: Our findings indicate no differences in complications and PROMs at 1 year in patients undergoing THA during 4 distinct seasons. Notably, patients had functional differences at the second follow-up visit, suggesting variation in short-term recovery. Patients could be counseled that they have similar rates of complications and postoperative recovery regardless of season.

Keywords: arthroplasty; patient-reported outcome measures; patient-reported outcomes measures; seasonal variation; total hip arthroplasty.