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Neer Award 2016: Outpatient Total Shoulder Arthroplasty in an Ambulatory Surgery Center Is a Safe Alternative to Inpatient Total Shoulder Arthroplasty in a Hospital: a Matched Cohort Study

·J Shoulder Elbow Surg·2017·156 citations·Shoulder & Elbow
DOI·PubMed
SummaryAbstract on PubMed →

This matched cohort study asks whether anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty can be done safely as a same-day outpatient procedure. It compares 90-day episode-of-care complications for 30 patients treated at a freestanding ambulatory surgery center against 30 age- and comorbidity-matched inpatients. It is the first study to directly compare ASC versus hospital TSA on admissions, reoperations, and complications.

Study Snapshot

Design
Matched retrospective cohort
Blinding: Open-label
Setting: Single freestanding ASC and hospital
Funding: None
Objective
Whether outpatient TSA in an ASC has complication and readmission rates similar to inpatient TSA
Outcome(s)
90-day episode-of-care complications, admissions/readmissions, reoperations
Subjects
60 patients
  • 30Outpatient
  • 30Matched inpatient
Inclusion
  • Primary unilateral anatomic TSA
  • Single surgeon, 2012-2015
  • Failed nonoperative management
Exclusion
  • Hemiarthroplasty
  • Reverse TSA
  • Revision shoulder arthroplasty
Follow-up
90-day episode of care
Statistics
Two-tailed t-tests

Key Findings

  • Overall 90-day complication rates were statistically equivalent between groups: 13.3% (4/30) in the ASC cohort vs 10.0% (3/30) in the hospital cohort (P = 1.0). Both are in line with previously reported TSA complication rates.
  • There were zero hospital admissions from the ASC cohort, zero readmissions from the hospital cohort, and no reoperations in either group within 90 days. This is the core safety signal supporting outpatient TSA.
  • All 30 ASC patients were discharged home the same day as surgery without complication, versus a mean inpatient stay of 1.1 days (27 of 30 discharged on postoperative day 1).
  • The only major complication was a traumatic subscapularis disruption in an outpatient who fell at 11 weeks postoperatively. This was trauma-related, not a failure of same-day discharge.
  • There were no cardiopulmonary complications in either group, which the authors attribute to combined surgeon and anesthesiologist screening of every ASC candidate.
  • ASC patients were younger than typical TSA populations, averaging 52.6 years versus the 64-69 years reported in the literature. This selection bias is the study's central limitation.
  • Minor complications in the ASC group were arthrofibrosis in 2 patients and asymptomatic anterior subluxation in 1; the hospital group had asymptomatic subluxation, a blood transfusion, and a superficial venous thrombosis.
Board PearlIn carefully selected, younger, healthier patients, outpatient TSA in an ambulatory surgery center is as safe as inpatient TSA (13% vs 10% complications, no readmissions).

Clinical Relevance

When a healthy, younger patient needs anatomic TSA, same-day discharge from an ambulatory surgery center is a reasonable option, not a compromise in safety. This study delivered equivalent 90-day complication rates (13% vs 10%) with no admissions, readmissions, or reoperations in either arm.

The mechanism that makes this work is selection. Both surgeon and anesthesiologist screened every candidate for age, comorbidity burden, and prior cardiac events, and there were zero cardiopulmonary complications. Weight the evidence carefully. This is a Level III retrospective single-surgeon series of 60 patients, and the ASC group was younger (mean 52.6 years) than a typical TSA population.

The takeaway is not that all TSA can move outpatient, but that a carefully vetted subset can be safely offered same-day surgery. Cost-effectiveness and functional outcomes were not assessed and remain open questions.

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Neer Award 2016: Outpatient Total Shoulder Arthroplasty in an Ambulatory Surgery Center Is a Safe Alternative to Inpatient Total Shoulder Arthroplasty in a Hospital: a Matched Cohort Study

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Neer Award 2016: Outpatient Total Shoulder Arthroplasty in an Ambulatory Surgery Center Is a Safe Alternative to Inpatient Total Shoulder Arthroplasty in a Hospital: a Matched Cohort Study

·J Shoulder Elbow Surg·2017·156 citations·Shoulder & Elbow
DOI·PubMed
SummaryAbstract on PubMed →

This matched cohort study asks whether anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty can be done safely as a same-day outpatient procedure. It compares 90-day episode-of-care complications for 30 patients treated at a freestanding ambulatory surgery center against 30 age- and comorbidity-matched inpatients. It is the first study to directly compare ASC versus hospital TSA on admissions, reoperations, and complications.

Study Snapshot

Design
Matched retrospective cohort
Blinding: Open-label
Setting: Single freestanding ASC and hospital
Funding: None
Objective
Whether outpatient TSA in an ASC has complication and readmission rates similar to inpatient TSA
Outcome(s)
90-day episode-of-care complications, admissions/readmissions, reoperations
Subjects
60 patients
  • 30Outpatient
  • 30Matched inpatient
Inclusion
  • Primary unilateral anatomic TSA
  • Single surgeon, 2012-2015
  • Failed nonoperative management
Exclusion
  • Hemiarthroplasty
  • Reverse TSA
  • Revision shoulder arthroplasty
Follow-up
90-day episode of care
Statistics
Two-tailed t-tests

Key Findings

  • Overall 90-day complication rates were statistically equivalent between groups: 13.3% (4/30) in the ASC cohort vs 10.0% (3/30) in the hospital cohort (P = 1.0). Both are in line with previously reported TSA complication rates.
  • There were zero hospital admissions from the ASC cohort, zero readmissions from the hospital cohort, and no reoperations in either group within 90 days. This is the core safety signal supporting outpatient TSA.
  • All 30 ASC patients were discharged home the same day as surgery without complication, versus a mean inpatient stay of 1.1 days (27 of 30 discharged on postoperative day 1).
  • The only major complication was a traumatic subscapularis disruption in an outpatient who fell at 11 weeks postoperatively. This was trauma-related, not a failure of same-day discharge.
  • There were no cardiopulmonary complications in either group, which the authors attribute to combined surgeon and anesthesiologist screening of every ASC candidate.
  • ASC patients were younger than typical TSA populations, averaging 52.6 years versus the 64-69 years reported in the literature. This selection bias is the study's central limitation.
  • Minor complications in the ASC group were arthrofibrosis in 2 patients and asymptomatic anterior subluxation in 1; the hospital group had asymptomatic subluxation, a blood transfusion, and a superficial venous thrombosis.
Board PearlIn carefully selected, younger, healthier patients, outpatient TSA in an ambulatory surgery center is as safe as inpatient TSA (13% vs 10% complications, no readmissions).

Clinical Relevance

When a healthy, younger patient needs anatomic TSA, same-day discharge from an ambulatory surgery center is a reasonable option, not a compromise in safety. This study delivered equivalent 90-day complication rates (13% vs 10%) with no admissions, readmissions, or reoperations in either arm.

The mechanism that makes this work is selection. Both surgeon and anesthesiologist screened every candidate for age, comorbidity burden, and prior cardiac events, and there were zero cardiopulmonary complications. Weight the evidence carefully. This is a Level III retrospective single-surgeon series of 60 patients, and the ASC group was younger (mean 52.6 years) than a typical TSA population.

The takeaway is not that all TSA can move outpatient, but that a carefully vetted subset can be safely offered same-day surgery. Cost-effectiveness and functional outcomes were not assessed and remain open questions.

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