Outcomes after Major Joint Replacement (Hip and Knee) - Evaluation of Quality of Life

Elective prosthetic hip and knee surgery is the definitive treatment for pain and disability caused by hip and knee arthritis. Both conditions are a continuous process of increasing prevalence in countries of the developed world, because of improvements in surgical techniques and because of aging. These increases have resulted in an increase in health expenditure, but the waiting list for the interventions described also increased. Waiting lists must consist not only chronologically but especially by factors related to clinical and social impact of the postponement of intervention. At the Orthopaedic Department of Rehabilitation Hospital Iasi, above 3500 THR and TKR were performed in the past 15 years (1994-2009). Results were analyzed using a computerized system and a proprietary database. The results were: a SF 36 score well below average, for age and sex of patients placed on waiting lists, statistically significant postoperative improvement for WOMAC and SF 36 scores, progressive deterioration of patient status as waiting (most evident for hip than knee), various differences between the severity of surgical disease patients on the waiting list and quality of life scores related to preoperative health status. In conclusion, we consider that the claims of Robert Keller of the Medical Foundation of Maine USA, summarizes in a clear challenge to which is subject to present and future society in ensuring a quality health care to the population becoming more numerous and increasingly older.