“The new data coming out of the AAOS are impressive and an exciting extension of the AJRR’s first annual report which debuted in 2019,” said Bryan D. Springer, MD, FAAOS, chair of the AJRR Steering Committee. “Each report was made possible by the successful integration of administrative claims data into AJRR, which provides a more complete picture of our patient population and their associated comorbidities and outcomes, including longitudinal outcomes of patients who receive care at non-AJRR participating sites.”

2019 AJRR Annual Report Supplement
The 2019 AJRR Annual Report Supplement provides demographic information and outcomes from the more than 1.5 million hip and knee arthroplasty procedures performed from 2012 to 2018. This year represents the first time the AJRR has been able to complete device-specific survivorship curves utilizing Medicare claims data. In addition, results offer a more complete picture of patient populations within the procedural reported data. Methodology for analyses detailed reflect a consensus-driven approach determined by multiple stakeholders.

“The inclusion of Medicare claims data has given us access to more robust and complete patient information which allows us to investigate timely topics including the role of dual mobility bearings in total hip arthroplasty and cementless fixation in total knee arthroplasty,” said Kevin J. Bozic, MD, FAAOS, MBA, AJRR Registry Oversight Committee Representative. “The level of understanding we are able to gain from these enhanced AJRR data, including clinical, implant related, patient reported outcomes, and now administrative claims, provides unique insights into the factors that influence outcomes for patients who undergo hip or knee replacement surgery.”

AJRR represents approximately 32% of all hip and knee procedures performed in the United States. However, the representativeness of the AJRR population was previously unknown. To address this uncertainty, the representativeness of the AJRR population was assessed by comparing characteristics of the total joint arthroplasty (TJA) procedures in the AJRR with the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. 

The supplemental report also addresses:

• Hip Arthroplasty Constructs – According to the data, the majority of the variation in the hip device-specific survivorship curves appeared to occur within one year of the primary procedure. Early failure is typically a result of infection, dislocation, or periprosthetic fracture, which may or may not be related to the implant itself.
• Knee Arthroplasty Constructs – Unlike the hip device-specific survivorship curves which showed some divergence in the first year, the knee device-curves showed very little divergence for both posterior stabilized and cruciate retaining constructs.

California State Registry Supplement
Directed by the California State Registry Committee (CSRC) to monitor the progress and participation of California sites, the new California-specific registry supplement continues the work originally established by the California Joint Replacement Registry (CJRR). This report focuses on the 30 original CJRR sites for which there were 303 unique surgeons with a valid surgeon ID for these analyses. In total, the California State Registry Supplement comprises of 57,246 unique hip and knee cases from 2012 through 2018.

To read and download the 2019 AJRR Annual Report Supplement and the California State Registry Supplement, visit the AJRR website.

About the AAOS
With more than 39,000 members, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is the world’s largest medical association of musculoskeletal specialists. The AAOS is the trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal health. It provides the highest quality, most comprehensive education to help orthopaedic surgeons and allied health professionals at every career level best treat patients in their daily practices. The AAOS is the source for information on bone and joint conditions, treatments and related musculoskeletal health care issues and it leads the health care discussion on advancing quality.
 
AAOS Registry Program
The American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR), the Academy’s hip and knee replacement registry, is the cornerstone of the AAOS’s Registry Program, and the world’s largest national registry of hip and knee joint replacement data by annual procedural count, with more than 1.7 million procedures contained within its database. Additional registries include Shoulder & Elbow, the Musculoskeletal Tumor Registry and the American Spine Registry, a collaborative effort between the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the AAOS. 

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