Inpatient interdisciplinary rehabilitation after total hip arthroplasty surgery: A comparison of revision and primary total hip arthroplasty

Objectives: To describe outcomes of revision total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients who underwent interdisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation, and to compare them with primary THA patients. Design: Descriptive and case-control study. Setting: Forty-bed, community-based, freestanding rehabilitation hospital. Patients: Thirty-nine revision THA subjects, gender- and age-matched with 39 primary THA controls. Intervention: Inpatient interdisciplinary rehabilitation. Main Outcome Measures: FIM(TM) instrument, length of stay, hospital charges, and disposition location. Results: The average revision THA patient stayed 10.5 days, improved from an admission FIM score of 89 to a discharge FIM score of 110, and incurred a hospital charge of $10,600. Of the revision THA patients, 98% were discharged home, and orthopedic-related complications were uncommon. No significant differences existed between revision and primary THA patients in any outcome measures. A trend toward higher rehabilitation charges ($12,400 vs $9500, p =.07) was found in revision THA patients who wore a hip orthosis. Otherwise, no differences were found in outcome measures based on the type of revision surgery, the presence of weight-bearing restrictions, or the presence of orthopedic complications. Conclusions: THA patients selected for inpatient rehabilitation have favorable short-term functional outcomes. The type of THA (primary vs revision) is not an independent differentiating factor.