Same-Day vs One-Day Discharge: Rates and Reasons for Emergency Department Return After Hospital-Based Total Joint Arthroplasty

As short stay and outpatient total joint arthroplasties (TJAs) are more widely adopted, it is important to assess whether reducing length of stay leads to increased emergency department (ED) visits or readmissions.

This is a retrospective review of 1743 primary TJA patients with same-day discharge (SDD) or 1-day length of stay between January and December 2019. Patients who returned to the ED or were readmitted within 30 days of TJA were identified, and chart review was performed to identify their primary reason for revisit.

Patients discharged on the day of surgery (n = 203, 11.6%) were more likely to be younger ( P < .001) and have a lower body mass index (total hip arthroplasty, P = .018; total knee arthroplasty, P < .001) and American Society of Anesthesiologists score ( P < .001). The overall rate of return was 6.3%, and 1.3% of patients were readmitted. Controlling for age, gender, body mass index, surgery type, and American Society of Anesthesiologists, patients selected for SDD were not found to be at higher risk of return to the ED compared to 1-day length of stay patients (4.9% vs 6.4%, odds ratio 0.980, 95% confidence interval 0.484-1.984, P = .956).

SDD of eligible patients does not increase the risk of 30-day return to the ED. Continued analysis of risk factors for return and readmission will improve prospective identification of patients who can safely be discharged on the day of surgery, and future quality improvement initiatives should target the most common reasons for ED return.