Fewer complications seen compared with conventional total knee arthroplasty, but robotic-assisted procedure is more costly
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, May 15, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Robotic-assisted total knee arthroplasty (rTKA) is associated with fewer complications but higher average total cost than conventional TKA (cTKA), according to a study recently published online in Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery.
Vikram A. Aggarwal, from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues used data from the National Inpatient Sample Database Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (2016 to 2019) to examine differences in cost and outcomes for patients undergoing rTKA and cTKA.
The researchers found that compared with cTKA patients, rTKA patients had lower average length of stay (1.91 days) and higher average total cost ($67,133.34). Benefits were seen for fewer complications, including reduced periprosthetic infection (odds ratio [OR], 0.027), periprosthetic dislocation (OR,  0.117), periprosthetic mechanical complication (OR,  0.315), pulmonary embolism (OR, 0.358), transfusion (OR, 0.366), pneumonia (OR, 0.468), deep vein thrombosis (OR, 0.479), and blood loss anemia (OR, 0.728). Findings persisted even after propensity matching.
“Identifying patient-specific factors that place them at risk for increased complications with cTKA as opposed to rTKA could provide surgeons insight on the method of TKA that maximizes patient outcomes while minimizing health care cost,” the authors write.
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