By Monica Jaramillo
Hospital-acquired conditions were the strongest predictor of 30-day hospital readmission following primary knee and hip arthroplasty, and accounted for 42% of complications found during a 5-year period.
Researchers retrospectively analyzed data from the Surgical Care Improvement Project and the Veteran’s Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VASQIP) to identify16,808 partial and total knee and 9,902 partial and total hip arthroplasties performed from 2005 to 2009. Hospital-acquired conditions (HACs), such as venous thromboembolism, pneumonia, surgical site infections and urinary tract infections, were the independent variables of interest, with the dependent variable being hospital readmission within 30 days of discharge. 