Several studies have shown that partial knee replacement (PKR) is associated with a faster recovery and fewer complications than total knee replacement (TKR).¹ It has been suggested, however, that these findings may reflect differences in pre-operative comorbidities between PKR and TKR patients.¹ To control for any potential differences in comorbidities, this recent study examined the differences in length of stay (LoS), and 90-day post-op readmission and complication rates between a matched cohort of PKR and TKR patients.¹

The cohort of 2,786 PKR and 7,708 TKR were propensity matched on 17  pre-operative characteristics and exact year of surgery.¹ All procedures were performed between 2010 and 2017 across nine fast-track orthopaedic centres in Denmark.¹

The results showed that:

• More PKR patients were discharged on the day of surgery than TKR patients (21.1% Vs 0.5%)¹
• LoS was shorter for PKR patients (1.17 days Vs 2.24 days)¹
• There was no difference in re-admission rates between PKR and TKR¹
• The overall rate of surgical or medical complications were similar for both groups¹
• The incidence of periprosthetic joint infection was lower in the PKR group (odds-ratio 0.50)¹
• There were fewer re-operations in the PKR group (odds-ratio 0.40)¹
• Non-septic revisions were more common in PKR patients (odds-ration 2.5)¹