In preparation for my live Q&A (@MariaFontanazza) with Howard J. Luks, MD, tomorrow afternoon on Twitter, Dr. Luks has been kind enough to let me repost one of his blogs about TKR (total knee replacement). Check it out, and don't forget to follow our chat live tomorrow at 1:30 pm EST at #OATalk.

Does Volume Matter

It would seem intuitively obvious that if your surgeon performed more knee replacements than another surgeon that his/her complication rate would be lower. However, as frequently proven in medicine, what initially seems intuitive does not always prove to be fact when researched.

In this particular case though, your intuitions would be correct.

Recent literature shows that surgeons who perform more than 75-100 total knees per year have significantly fewer complications than surgeons who *dabble* in knee replacements on occasion. I read a long while ago that less than 10% of orthopedists hit this number... so be sure if you are discussing a total knee replacement with your surgeon that you clearly know what their volume is. It may make the significant difference in your results.... both short, and long term.

Howard J. Luks, MD (@hjluks)

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