Preoperative Predictors of Length of Hospital Stay and Discharge Disposition Following Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty at a Military Medical Center

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to retrospectively review the preoperative data compared to the patient's length of hospital stay (LOHS) and discharge disposition to home or a skilled nursing facility (SNF) following primary total knee arthroplasty. METHODS: Preoperative data on 383 patients included year and day of the week of the surgery, patient age, body mass index (BMI), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class, and gender. RESULTS: Mean LOHS for all patients was 4.35 days. Three hundred and twenty-eight patients were discharged to home and 55 patients were discharged to a SNF. Factors found to be statistically significant with increased LOHS were increased age, increased ASA class, decreased BMI, and year of admission before instituting a "pathway" program. Factors significant for discharge to a SNF were increased age and ASA class. CONCLUSION: Older patients with higher ASA class have longer LOHS and increased discharges to a SNF. Patients whose surgery was performed after instituting a "pathway" program and those with higher BMI had a decreased LOHS.