A study evaluating the Surgical Risk Tool Calculator, the online tool of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP), found that for total joint arthroplasty procedures, the tool is an adequate predictor of discharge to a skilled nursing facility (SNF) or rehabilitation but has limited usefulness for adverse events of 90-day readmission, return to operating room, deep vein thrombosis, and prosthetic joint infection. 

The study, in press with The Journal of Arthroplasty, is a single-center retrospective review of 909 patients who underwent primary total knee or hip arthroplasty, with patient characteristics entered into the risk calculator and predicted outcomes compared with observed results. The authors write that the findings point to the need for a reliable risk calculator specific to total joint arthroplasty that can accurately predict adverse outcomes using simple and clearly defined input variables. Learn more...