Factors affecting length of stay and need for rehabilitation after hip and knee arthroplasty

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that predict the length of stay on a surgical service after total hip or knee arthroplasty and the factors that predict whether a patient will require admission to a rehabilitation unit before he or she is ready to return home. The authors reviewed the records of all patients admitted to the Albany Medical Center for elective total hip or total knee arthroplasty in 1995. The study looked for correlations of patients' age, sex, marital status, body mass index, and comorbid illnesses with length of stay on the surgical service and need for inpatient rehabilitation. The only factor that correlated with length of stay on the surgical unit was age. The factors that correlated with the need for inpatient rehabilitation were age and diabetes mellitus.