Study Quantifies COVID-19-Linked Deficit in Arthroplasties in the U.K.

Deficit totals 158,994 joint replacements, and elimination of deficit expected to take until 2031 with 10 percent increase in capacity

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Aug. 15, 2024 (HealthDay News) — The COVID-19-induced deficit in arthroplasty procedures is equivalent to 71.6 percent of a year of normal expected operating activity, according to a study published online Aug. 1 in The Bone & Joint Journal.

Jonathan M.R. French, B.M., B.Sc., from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and colleagues analyzed the mandatory prospective national registry of all independent and publicly funded hip, knee, shoulder, elbow, and ankle replacements in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland between January 2019 and December 2022 inclusive, totaling 729,642 operations, to assess national trends and quantify the COVID-19-induced backlog.

The researchers found a deficit of 158,994 joint replacements between January 2020 and December 2022, which was equivalent to 71.6 percent of a year of normal expected operating activity. In 2020, 2021, and 2022, there were −47.1, −18.9, and −5.6 percent fewer replacements performed, respectively, than in 2019. An increase was seen in independent-sector procedures, making it the predominant arthroplasty provider (53 percent in 2022). National Health Service activity was 73.2 percent of 2019 levels, and independent activity increased to 126.8 percent. Deficits of more than one year’s worth of procedures were seen in Wales and Northern Ireland (−136.3 and −121.3 percent, respectively), which was considerably more than in England (−66.7 percent). To eliminate this deficit would take until 2031, with an immediate expansion of capacity of 10 percent over 2019 levels.

“Returning to prepandemic provision is insufficient to address the deficit. Even with rapid expansion, our study suggests it will take many years, if not decades, to resolve the joint replacement crisis,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

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