A study published online in the journal Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research suggests that many readmissions following total hip arthroplasty (THA) may not be preventable. 

The authors conducted a retrospective evaluation of 1,096 elective THAs for osteoarthritis (OA) conducted at a single center. Of those, 69 patients who met inclusion criteria were readmitted within 90 days of discharge. Overall, 31 patients (45 percent) were readmitted for orthopaedic reasons and 38 were readmitted for medical reasons (55 percent). Overall, three readmissions (4 percent) were identified as potentially preventable. Of the potentially preventable readmissions, one was orthopaedic (hip dislocation) and two were medical. The authors note that 30-day readmissions were more likely to be for orthopaedic reasons than 90-day readmissions. Learn more...