Published online Feb 18, 2024. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v15.i2.139
Peer-review started: November 17, 2023
First decision: December 7, 2023
Revised: December 18, 2023
Accepted: January 9, 2024
Article in press: January 9, 2024
Published online: February 18, 2024
Processing time: 81 Days and 7.1 Hours
Elective removal of asymptomatic implants remains a controversial area, with no defined guidelines to direct this orthopedic practice. Hence, placing a considerable clinical and economic burden on both patients and healthcare systems.
Little data is known regarding routine orthopedic implant removal in the literature, particularly in the Middle East.
The objective of this study is to measure the burden of routine implant removal on both patients’ health and hospital facilities.
A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single tertiary center between February 2016 and August 2022 and included participants across all age groups who underwent asymptomatic implant removal in the orthopedic department. Participant’s demographic and clinical data were retrieved from the electronic record system and statistically analyzed via Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 25.
Complications were observed in 6% of the patients in our study, and sick leave was given in 34.1% of all cases. In 56% of cases, a single day in the hospital was necessary, whereas 44% required more than one day. These findings will shed light on this obscure area of literature, encouraging scholars to do further investigation in this area.
In conclusion, this study proposes that routine implant removal places a heavy load on patients and healthcare facilities.
More prospective multi-center studies with larger sample sizes are needed to investigate further the impact of elective implant removal on patients and hospitals.