Fast-track procedures after primary total knee arthroplasty reduce hospital stay by unselected patients: a prospective national multi-centre study

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of fast-track procedures (FTPs) on length of hospital stay after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in a prospective, national, multicentric analysis. The innovative point was that no patient selection was used. The hypothesis was that FTPs reduce hospital stay after primary TKA for non-traumatic conditions compared with the national database. Methods An observational prospective study was conducted in ten centres throughout France. A total of 839 patients included in FTPs were followed up for three months. The average LOS, direct return home rate, unscheduled re-admission rate, and re-intervention rate were compared with those in the national database (93,329 TKAs). Knee society and Oxford score were collected. Results The mean LOS was 4.4 ± 3.3 days, while the national base LOS was 6.4 ± 3.1 days ( p