The Effect of Weekday Preference on Length of Stay in Unilateral Bicompartmental Total Knee Arthroplasty

Aim: There are few studies in the literature evaluating the effect of the day of surgery on length of hospital stay. This study evaluates the effect of the day of surgery on the duration of hospitalization in unilateral primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in a group of hospitals providing wide-ranging health services and clarifies the implications for reducing economic burdens. Methods: Between March 2020 and January 2022, patients treated by TKA with the code P612420 according to the Health Practice Communique were retrospectively scanned in a group of hospitals with different levels. Patients who underwent bilateral TKA on the same day or during hospitalization, underwent any secondary surgical procedures, or developed early complications were excluded from the evaluation. Results: The data of 743 patients who underwent unilateral TKA were evaluated. The mean hospital stay was 3.32 (2-14) days. It was seen that the shortest hospitalization periods were in the surgeries performed on Saturday (3.15 days), while the longest ones were on Friday (3.62 days). It was found that the patients who underwent surgery on Saturday had significantly shorter hospital stays than on Friday (p=0.006). Conclusion: While planning TKA, the choice of surgery day is a factor that should be addressed to reduce hospital stays and, therefore, costs.