Prospective Validation of a Hip and Knee Scoring System to Predict Complication Rate and Candidacy for Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty

This study is a prospective validation study of a new hip and knee replacement-specific questionnaire that can be used to predict postoperative complications. The purpose of this study is to confirm the validity of a new hip and knee scoring system to be used as a clinical tool to predict potential complication rates in patients undergoing total hip or knee replacement surgery. This scoring system aims to stratify patients into specific risk categories based a standardized calculated score. Patients will be evaluated on health risk factors and severity of disease on radiographic imaging prior to surgery, associated to higher complication rates following surgery. The hopeful anticipated result of this study is a prospective validation of the scoring system with both statistical and clinical significance in predicting postoperative complication rates in patients with moderate to high health risk,

This stratification system may prove meaningful by allowing these patients, especially those classified as High-Risk, to be incorporated into more appropriate healthcare bundle payment systems that account for their higher financial demands. Furthermore, the stratification may allow for preoperative counseling and a shift towards non-operative management, or surgeon-patient conversations regarding the need to modify a portion of their objective risks prior to surgical intervention. Predictive risk models such as the one presented in the current study will be essential tools as the number of total hip arthroplasty procedures performed each year continue to increase and both the numbers of procedures and associated complications impose a significant cost on the U.S. healthcare system.