title: In-hospital cost comparison between the standard lateral and supercapsular percutaneously-assisted total hip surgical techniques for total hip replacement.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to compare the in-hospital costs associated with the tissue-sparing supercapsular percutaneously-assisted total hip (SuperPath) and traditional Lateral surgical techniques for total hip replacement (THR).
  
  
  METHODS
  Between April 2013 and January 2014, in-hospital costs were reviewed for all THRs performed using the SuperPath technique by a single surgeon and all THRs performed using the Lateral technique by another surgeon at the same institution.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, costs were 28.4% higher in the Lateral group. This was largely attributable to increased costs associated with transfusion (+92.5%), patient rooms (+60.4%), patient food (+62.8%), narcotics (+42.5%), physical therapy (+52.5%), occupational therapy (+88.6%), and social work (+92.9%). The only costs noticeably increased for SuperPath were for imaging (+105.9%), and this was because the SuperPath surgeon performed intraoperative radiographs on all patients while the Lateral surgeon did not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of the SuperPath technique resulted in in-hospital cost reductions of over 28%, suggesting that this tissue-sparing surgical technique can be cost-effective primarily by facilitating early mobilisation and patient discharge even during a surgeon's initial experience with the approach.
authors.affiliation: Ottawa Hospital - Civic Campus, J153-1053 Carling Ave., Ottawa, Ontario, K1Y4E9, Canada.
authors.forename: Wade
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gofton
authors.affiliation: MicroPort Orthopedics Inc., 5677 Airline Rd., Arlington, TN, 38002, USA. david.fitch@ortho.microport.com.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Fitch
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D017721:Hospital Costs; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Economic analysis; Lateral approach; SuperPath; Supercapsular percutaneously-assisted total hip; Tissue-sparing; Total hip replacement