At the recent Knee Society meeting in Orlando, Florida, March 5, 2016, there were several papers reviewing the pros and cons of outpatient joint replacement in the United States. There has been a move toward shorter stay/overnight stay and even outpatient joint replacement. Currently, patients who have no significant medical comorbidities, and are in good health and physical shape may be considered for outpatient surgery. The trend across the country is to start out with overnight stay for patients and if analysis of these short-stay cases proves positive, then transition in the future to pure outpatient surgery. This is an evolving field and we must weigh the risks of staying in the hospital versus the risk of going home the same day.
As we continue to refine our pain management programs, our preoperative optimization programs, and our rapid mobilization following surgery, shorter and shorter stays can be realized. Ultimately, this will not be for everyone and probably the minority of patients undergoing joint replacement will be done as an outpatient.