Outpatient total knee arthroplasty

Abstract

Rapid recovery protocols, including outpatient joint replacement pathways, have been successful in decreasing hospital care costs without sacrificing outcomes after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, in order for an orthopaedic surgeon to start performing outpatient TKAs, one must have an adequate support staff, access to multimodal anesthesia, committed physical therapists, and a specialized postoperative pain management protocol. The following chapter will discuss the key steps to implementing an effective outpatient TKA program.