EFORT Open Reviews

Optimal timing for bilateral total knee arthroplasty: comparing simultaneous and staged procedures at various intervals: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

EFORT Open Rev. 2025 Jan 3;10(1):28-36. doi: 10.1530/EOR-2024-0070. Print 2025 Jan 1.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: A staged bilateral total knee arthroplasty (BTKA) procedure is considered when a patient is not deemed suitable for simultaneous BTKA due to concerns about the risk of mortality and complications. However, no network meta-analysis has been conducted to compare simultaneous vs staged BTKA procedures with different intervals in terms of postoperative mortality and overall complication rates.

METHODS: Four databases - Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science - were searched from inception to December 19, 2023, for studies comparing patients who underwent staged BTKA with different intervals and simultaneous BTKA. The primary outcome domains were 1-year mortality and 90-day overall complications. Secondary outcomes included neurological, cardiovascular, pulmonary, infectious and venous thromboembolic complications within 90 days.

RESULTS: Fifteen observational studies were included. Staged BTKA with intervals between 6 weeks and 3 months (odds ratio (OR): 0.69, 95% CI: 0.53-0.91), between 3 and 6 months (OR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.53-0.84) and longer than 6 months (OR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.55-0.83) exhibited a lower mortality risk compared to simultaneous BTKA. Staged BTKA with an interval shorter than 6 weeks and longer than 6 months exhibited a higher risk of pulmonary (OR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.03-1.49; OR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.10-2.44) and infectious complications (OR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.15-1.96; OR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.14-2.02) compared to simultaneous BTKA. An interval between 3 and 6 months ranked best in outcomes of 1-year mortality (P score = 0.7849) and 90-day complications (P score = 0.7077).

CONCLUSIONS: Staged BKTA with an interval of more than 6 weeks but less than 6 months is associated with a lower risk of postoperative mortality and complications. However, these results should be interpreted with caution due to potential biases inherent in the inclusion of nonrandomized studies.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.

PMID:40071914 | PMC:PMC11728876 | DOI:10.1530/EOR-2024-0070

The structure, process and outcomes of interprofessional care among knee osteoarthritis patients: a scoping review

EFORT Open Rev. 2025 Jan 3;10(1):37-47. doi: 10.1530/EOR-2023-0209. Print 2025 Jan 1.

ABSTRACT

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic condition that leads to joint pain and disability among older adults. An interprofessional collaborative approach has nowadays been widely advocated in knee OA management although little is known about the characteristics of care, roles and responsibilities of healthcare providers and how they collaborate as a team to optimise treatment outcomes. The Donabedian structure-process-outcome framework was used in the review. Six databases were searched from February 2013 to March 2023. A total of 26 articles that met our inclusion criteria were reported. All studies (n = 26) identified the physiotherapist as a critical member of the interprofessional team. Several studies (n = 5) have offered training to healthcare providers in the management of knee OA. The intervention components in most studies included disease-based education (n = 21) and exercise therapy (n = 16). A comprehensive understanding of the existing interprofessional knee OA care in this review could potentially assist the government and healthcare organisations in developing interprofessional practice guidelines and designing intervention programmes that maximise their benefits.

PMID:40071912 | PMC:PMC11728870 | DOI:10.1530/EOR-2023-0209

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