title: Feasibility and safety of performing outpatient unicompartmental knee arthroplasty.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has a faster short-term recovery than total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and safety of performing outpatient UKAs in a consecutive group of patients presenting with unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 105 consecutive patients underwent unicompartmental arthroplasty before noon with the intention of being discharged as an outpatient. All patients followed an established rapid recovery pathway to facilitate a same-day discharge. Post-operative complications and hospital readmissions were retrospectively recorded for all patients at one week and at three months after surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All of the 105 patients (100 %) indicated for outpatient UKA could be discharged home on the same day of surgery. No patients required readmission within the first week post-operatively, while one patient required readmission between week one and week 12. The single patient who required readmission developed a post-operative infection requiring irrigation/debridement with polyethylene liner exchange and intravenous antibiotics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using an established, multidisciplinary, rapid recovery protocol, outpatient UKA is safe and feasible in the vast majority of patients.
authors: Adult Reconstruction and Joint Replacement Division, Hospital for Special Surgery, 535 E 70th St, New York, NY, 10021, USA, crossm@hss.edu.
authors: Michael B
authors: MB
authors: Cross
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: Berger
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee / Q000145:classification* / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000601:surgery*; D010045:Outpatients; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D061214:Patient Safety; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome