Trends in total knee arthroplasty implant utilization

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Biomedical engineering
• Medical device technology

Background:

• The incidence of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has risen due to advancements in knee physiology understanding, biomechanics, and surgical technology.
• This has led to significant evolution in TKA implant design and utilization patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine current trends in TKA implant utilization.
• To evaluate changes in implant characteristics such as constraint level, bearing type, fixation method, and polyethylene material.

Main Methods:

• Data on primary TKAs were extracted from The Orthopedic Research Network.
• Analysis focused on trends in implant constraint, bearing type (fixed vs. mobile), fixation (cemented vs. uncemented), and polyethylene material (including HXLPE).

Main Results:

• In 2012, cemented femoral and tibial components were used in 88% of TKAs, with 96% including patellar resurfacing.
• Cruciate-retaining designs were used in 38%, posterior-stabilized in 53%, and constrained designs in 3%.
• Fixed-bearing implants predominated (91%), and 52% of tibial inserts utilized highly cross-linked polyethylene (HXLPE).

Conclusions:

• Current TKA implant trends favor cemented femoral and tibial components, patellar resurfacing, and fixed-bearing designs.
• There is an increasing adoption of highly cross-linked polyethylene (HXLPE) liners in TKA procedures.