Emergency Department closed reduction of dislocated THR: the REDDTHR Prospective Multi-centre Study

Dislocation is a potentially devastating complication severely affecting outcomes post total hip arthroplasty (THR). We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of closed reduction of a dislocated THR within the Emergency Department (ED).

A prospective multi-centre study was conducted over a 1-year period from November 2020 to December 2021 within 10 hospitals based in the East of England. Collected data included patient demographics, agent used for sedation, hospital length of stay, implant type and discharge destination. Patients were analysed according to whether successful reduction was performed in the ED or not. The primary outcome was length of stay, with secondary outcomes including discharge destination and pain post-procedure.

We studied 99 patients with an average age of 77.02 years, with 39 (39%) patients being male. 11 patients had revision hip replacements and 88 patients had primary THRs. 57 (57.6%) underwent closed reduction in the Emergency department, of which 44 (77.2%) were successful. Successful closed reduction was significantly associated with lower patient age (p = 0.02), lower American society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score (p < 0.01) and use of propofol (p < 0.01). Patients who underwent successful ED closed reduction had a lower hospital stay than those that did not (1 vs. 3 days, p < 0.01), however there was no significant difference in discharge destination.

When adopted, success following closed reduction is increased in younger patients with less comorbidities following use of propofol sedation. Following sedation, patients have a significantly shorter hospital stay. Increasing uptake of closed reduction of THR dislocation within the ED in suitable patients with evidence-based best practice protocols will maximise patient outcomes whilst allowing efficient resource utilisation.