Rodilla/Knee/Knie/Genou: Para qué al año si no mejora la atención

Assessing the utility of routine first annual follow-up visits after primary total knee arthroplasty
Cale A. Jacobs, Christian P. Christensen, Tharun Karthikeyan
The Journal of Arthroplasty
Published Online: November 25, 2014
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2014.11.016

Abstract

The combination of increased TKA utilization and a decreased number of arthroplasty specialists has resulted in a growing need to maximize efficiency without sacrificing the level of care being provided. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of routine first annual follow-up visits for patients that have undergone primary TKA. In order to do so, we determined the current follow-up rate for these visits and the number of revisions that were performed for a complication that was first detected at the routine first annual follow-up visit. Of 339 TKAs performed in 2012, 71 patients failed to attend scheduled first annual visits. Furthermore, none of the revisions performed at our facility since 2003 were the direct result of information gained at a patient’s routine first annual visit. As such, we question the clinical utility of the first annual visit and are evaluating an evidence-based follow-up protocol.