Nationwide partial knee replacement uptake is influenced by volume and supplier--A Dutch arthroplasty register study

Despite the established advantages of partial knee replacements (PKR), their usage remains limited. We investigated the effect of hospital knee arthroplasty (KA) volume and the availability of a frequently used PKR by the total KA supplier on the use of PKRs in a hospital.

A total of 190,204 total knee replacements (TKR) and 18,134 PKRs were identified in the Dutch Arthroplasty Register (LROI) from 2007 to 2016. For each hospital we determined the annual absolute KA volume (TKR+PKR) into quartiles (<103, 103-197, 197-292, >292 knee replacements/year), and determined whether the TKR supplier provided a frequently used PKR. Hospitals were divided in routine PKR users (≥13 PKRs/year) or occasional/non PKR users (<13 PKRs/year). Based on these parameters, the effect of total KA volume and supplier on PKR usage was investigated, using chi-square tests. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the influence of the combination of these factors.

In the lowest volume group, around 15% of the hospitals used PKRs, compared to 75% in the highest volume group. Having a TKR supplier that also provides a frequently used PKR resulted in a higher likelihood of performing PKR, especially in low volume hospitals.

Hospitals' total KA volume and the availability of a frequently used PKR appear to influence the use of PKR.