Are THA Patients Getting Younger? (AAOS 2014 Annual Meeting News)
A study presented yesterday by Jacob M. Drew, MD, suggests that a significant shift is occurring toward younger patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA). In fact, between 2000 and 2009, the number of patients ages 45 years to 64 years who underwent THA increased by 123 percent.
“The trend of increasing incidence of THA, particularly among younger patients, should be studied and understood to guide consensus strategy and maximize efficiency of resources related to THA,” stated Dr. Drew.
In this study, researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School addressed how population size affected the overall increase in THA, the secondary effects of a shift to a younger patient population, and the impact on revision burden.
Assessing the data
Dr. Drew and his fellow investigators performed this retrospective review by analyzing data from 2000 to 2009 as recorded in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, part of the family of software tools and databases developed for the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. The researchers identified all patients who had undergone THA or revision THA.
Using national weight...
