The Cost-Effectiveness of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Competitive Athletes

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce A. Stewart ◽  
Amit M. Momaya ◽  
Marc D. Silverstein ◽  
David Lintner
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Acl Reconstruction ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Return To Play ◽  
Acl Injuries ◽  
Competitive Athletes ◽  
Anterior Cruciate ◽  
The Cost

Background: Competitive athletes value the ability to return to competitive play after the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. ACL reconstruction has high success rates for return to play, but some studies indicate that patients may do well with nonoperative physical therapy treatment. Purpose: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the treatment of acute ACL tears with either initial surgical reconstruction or physical therapy in competitive athletes. Study Design: Economic and decision analysis; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: The incremental cost, incremental effectiveness, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of ACL reconstruction compared with physical therapy were calculated from a cost-effectiveness analysis of ACL reconstruction compared with physical therapy for the initial management of acute ACL injuries in competitive athletes. The ACL reconstruction strategy and the physical therapy strategy were represented as Markov models. Costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were evaluated over a 6-year time horizon and were analyzed from a societal perspective. Quality of life and probabilities of clinical outcomes were obtained from the peer-reviewed literature, and costs were compiled from a large academic hospital in the United States. One-way, 2-way, and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were used to assess the effect of uncertainty in variables on the ICER of ACL reconstruction. Results: The ICER of ACL reconstruction compared with physical therapy was $22,702 per QALY gained. The ICER was most sensitive to the quality of life of returning to play or not returning to play, costs, and duration of follow-up but relatively insensitive to the rates and costs of complications, probabilities of return to play for both operative and nonoperative treatments, and discount rate. Conclusion: ACL reconstruction is a cost-effective strategy for competitive athletes with an ACL injury.

Safer and Cheaper: An Enhanced Milestone-Based Return to Play Program After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Young Athletes Is Cost-Effective Compared With Standard Time-Based Return to Play Criteria

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 1100-1107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. DeFrancesco ◽  
Drake G. Lebrun ◽  
Joseph T. Molony ◽  
Madison R. Heath ◽  
Peter D. Fabricant
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Acl Reconstruction ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Return To Play ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Base Case ◽  
Graft Rupture ◽  
Anterior Cruciate ◽  
The Cost

Background: Safe return to play (RTP) after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is critical to patient satisfaction. Enhanced rehabilitation after ACL reconstruction with appropriate objective criteria for RTP may reduce the risk of subsequent injury. The cost-effectiveness of an enhanced RTP (eRTP) strategy relative to standard post-ACL reconstruction rehabilitation has not been investigated. Purpose: To determine if an eRTP strategy after ACL reconstruction is cost-effective compared with standard rehabilitation. Study Design: Economic and decision analysis. Methods: A decision-analysis model was utilized to compare standard rehabilitation with an eRTP strategy, which includes additional neuromuscular retraining, advanced testing, and follow-up physician visits. Cost-effectiveness was evaluated from a payer perspective. Costs of surgical procedures and rehabilitation protocols, risks of graft rupture and contralateral ACL injury, risk reductions as a result of the eRTP strategy, and relevant health utilities were derived from the literature. An incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of <$100,000/quality-adjusted life-year was used to determine cost-effectiveness. Sensitivity analyses were performed on pertinent model parameters to assess their effect on base case conclusions. In the base case analysis, the eRTP strategy cost was conservatively estimated to be $969 more than the standard rehabilitation protocol. Completion of the eRTP strategy was considered to confer a 25% risk reduction for graft rupture in comparison with standard rehabilitation. Results: The eRTP strategy was more cost-effective than standard rehabilitation alone. Based on 1-way threshold analyses, the eRTP strategy was cost-effective as long as its additional cost over standard rehabilitation was <$2092 or the eRTP strategy decreased the incidence of contralateral ACL rupture by >13.8%. Conclusion: The eRTP strategy in this study adds additional neuromuscular retraining and additional physician follow-up—as well as advanced testing goals upon which RTP is contingent—to traditional physical therapy. Our data suggest that these additions are cost-effective, even assuming only modest associated decreases in ACL graft failure. This study also determined that the only variable that had the potential to change the cost-effectiveness conclusion based on predetermined ranges was the additional cost of rehabilitation based on 1-way sensitivity analysis. Clinical Relevance: This study provides evidence of cost-effectiveness for payers, supporting the use of enhanced RTP programs. The sensitivity analyses herein may be used to determine if any given RTP program going forward is cost-effective, regardless of the exact components of the program.

Low Rates of Return to Preinjury Sport After Bilateral Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 334-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate E. Webster ◽  
Julian A. Feller ◽  
Alexander J. Kimp ◽  
Timothy S. Whitehead
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Acl Reconstruction ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Return To Sport ◽  
Rates Of Return ◽  
Acl Injuries ◽  
Reconstruction Surgery ◽  
Anterior Cruciate

Background: Patients with bilateral anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries tend to report worse results in terms of knee function and quality of life as compared with those with unilateral injury. There are limited data regarding return to preinjury sport in this group. Purpose: To report return-to-sport rates for patients who had bilateral ACL reconstruction and to compare outcomes according to age and sex. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A total of 107 patients (62 male, 45 female) who underwent primary ACL reconstruction surgery to both knees completed a detailed sports activity survey at a mean 5-year follow-up (range, 2.5-10 years). Follow-up also included the International Knee Documentation Committee subjective form, Marx Activity Scale, and Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score–Quality of Life subscale. Rates of return to preinjury levels of sport were calculated for the whole cohort, and for further analysis, the group was divided according to age (<25 vs ≥25 years), sex, and time between the reconstruction procedures (<3 vs ≥3 years). Results: The rate of return to preinjury sport after bilateral ACL reconstruction was 40% (95% CI, 31%-50%), as compared with an 83% (95% CI, 74%-88%) return rate after the first reconstruction procedure. Although not statistically significant, return rates were higher for male versus female patients (47% vs 31%) and older versus younger patients (45% vs 31%). Of those who returned to their preinjury levels of sport after the second reconstruction, 72% thought that they could perform as well as before their ACL injuries. In contrast, only 20% thought that they could perform as well if they returned to a lower level. Fear of reinjury was the most common reason cited for failure to return to sport after the second reconstruction. Patient-reported outcome scores were higher for those who returned to their preinjury levels of sport but did not differ for sex and age. Conclusion: Return-to-sport rates drop markedly after a second (contralateral) ACL reconstruction, with less than half of the investigated cohort returning to its preinjury level of sport. Return-to-sport outcomes are less than ideal for patients who have ACL reconstruction surgery to both knees.

The Role of Patient Characteristics in the Success of Nonoperative Treatment of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (7) ◽  
pp. 1657-1664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelle P. van der List ◽  
Frans J.A. Hagemans ◽  
Dirk Jan Hofstee ◽  
Freerk J. Jonkers
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Multivariate Analysis ◽  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Acl Reconstruction ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Patient Characteristics ◽  
Nonoperative Treatment ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Acl Injuries ◽  
Anterior Cruciate

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears can either be treated nonoperatively with physical therapy and then treated operatively if persistent instability is present, or be directly treated operatively. Advantages of early ACL reconstruction surgery include shorter time from injury to surgery and potentially fewer meniscal injuries, but performing early ACL reconstruction in all patients results in surgery in patients who might not need ACL reconstruction. It is important to assess in which patients nonoperative treatment is successful and which patients will require ACL reconstruction and thus might be better treated surgically in an earlier phase. Purpose: To identify patient characteristics that predict the success of nonoperative treatment. Study Design: Cohort study (Prognosis); Level of evidence, 2. Methods: All patients with complete ACL injuries who were evaluated between 2014 and 2017 at our clinic were included. The minimum follow-up was 2 years. The initial treatment and ultimate ACL reconstruction were reviewed. Univariate analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney U tests and chi-square tests and multivariate analysis using binary logistic regression. Results: A total of 448 patients were included with a median age of 26 years and median Tegner level of 7 and mean Tegner level of 6.4. At initial consultation, 210 patients (47%) were treated nonoperatively with physical therapy and 126 of these patients (60%) ultimately required ACL reconstruction. Nonoperative treatment failed in 88.9% of patients <25 years of age, 56.0% of patients 25 to 40 years, and 32.9% of patients >40 years ( P < .001); and 41.9% of patients with Tegner level 3 to 6, and 82.8% of patients with Tegner level 7 to 10. Age <25 years (odds ratio [OR], 7.4; P < .001) and higher Tegner levels (OR, 4.2; P < .001) were predictive of failing nonoperative treatment in multivariate analysis. Patients in the failed nonoperative group had longer time from diagnosis to surgery than the direct reconstruction group (6.2 vs 2.2 months; P < .001), and more frequently had new meniscal injuries (17.4% vs 3.1%; P < .001) at surgery. Conclusion: Nonoperative treatment of ACL injuries failed in 60% of patients and was highly correlated with age and activity level. In patients aged 25 years or younger or participating in higher-impact sports, early ACL reconstruction should be considered to prevent longer delay between injury and surgery, as well as new meniscal injuries.

scholarly journals Return to Play (RTP) and Performance in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Reconstruction (194)

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10_suppl5) ◽  
pp. 2325967121S0030
Author(s):  
Joseph Tramer ◽  
Lafi Khalil ◽  
Alexander Ziedas ◽  
Muhammad Abbas ◽  
Nima Mehran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acl Reconstruction ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Return To Play ◽  
Post Injury ◽  
Acl Injuries ◽  
Post Surgery ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Playing Time ◽  
Anterior Cruciate ◽  
And Performance

Objectives: The incidence of ACL injuries in WNBA athletes has been on the rise, despite the high rates of ACL injury there is a paucity of recent research examining the effect of ACL reconstruction on RTP and performance in these athletes. This cohort study seeks to quantify the effect of ACL reconstruction on RTP and performance on WNBA athletes. Methods: All ACL tears sustained in the WNBA from 1997-2018 were identified. BMI, age and position at the time of injury were collected for each player. RTP rates were calculated and performance data was collected for each player before and after injury to determine changes in playing time and statistical performance. Players who successfully RTP after ACL reconstruction were compared to a group of healthy controls who were matched by age, years of experience, position, height, and BMI. Statistics at one year and three years’ post-injury were compared to assess acute and longitudinal changes in performance relative to pre-injury baseline. Results: A total of fifty-nine WNBA players sustained an isolated ACL tear during the study period. Forty-one (69.5%) were able to RTP. There was no difference in demographic characteristics between forty-one players and matched controls. Following RTP athletes played an average of 7.5±12.8 fewer games, 5.1±9.2 fewer minutes per game, and scored 3.7±5.0 less points per game in their first year compared to the year prior to injury. (Table1) When compared to matched controls, WNBA players returning from ACL reconstruction demonstrated a significant decline in games played, games started, minutes per game, rebounds, assists, and blocks per game in their first season after RTP. These differences resolved by year three post-surgery (Table 2). Conclusions: There is a high RTP rate following ACL reconstruction in WNBA athletes. Players may experience a decrease in playing time and performance initially when returning to play, however these variables were found to return to baseline over time.

Which Outcome Measures Should Be Used to Determine Readiness to Play After ACL Reconstruction?

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke M. Mueller ◽  
Ben A. Bloomer ◽  
Chris J. Durall
Keyword(s):  
Acl Reconstruction ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Return To Play ◽  
Surgical Reconstruction ◽  
Clinical Scenario ◽  
Clinical Question ◽  
Acl Injuries ◽  
Anterior Cruciate ◽  
Injured Knee

Clinical Scenario:Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are associated with a lengthy recovery time, decreased performance, and an increased rate of reinjury. To improve performance of the injured knee, affected athletes often undergo surgical reconstruction and rehabilitation. Determining when an athlete is ready to safely return to play (RTP), however, can be challenging for clinicians. Although various outcome measures have been recommended, their ability to predict a safe RTP is questionable.Focused Clinical Question:Which outcome measures should be used to determine readiness to return to play after ACL reconstruction?

scholarly journals Psychological and Social Components of Recovery Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Young Athletes: A Narrative Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (17) ◽  
pp. 9267
Author(s):  
Emil Vutescu ◽  
Sebastian Orman ◽  
Edgar Garcia-Lopez ◽  
Justin Lau ◽  
Andrew Gage ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Acl Reconstruction ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Acl Injury ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Acl Rupture ◽  
Return To Play ◽  
Young Athletes ◽  
Acl Injuries ◽  
Anterior Cruciate

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is a common injury in young athletes. To restore knee stability and function, patients often undergo ACL reconstruction (ACLR). Historically, there has been a focus in this population on the epidemiology of ACL injury, the technical aspects of ACL reconstruction, and post-operative functional outcomes. Although increasingly recognized as an important aspect in recovery, there remains limited literature examining the psychological aspects of post-operative rehabilitation and return to play following youth ACL reconstruction. Despite technical surgical successes and well-designed rehabilitation programs, many athletes never reach their preinjury athletic performance level and some may never return to their primary sport. This suggests that other factors may influence recovery, and indeed this has been documented in the adult literature. In addition to restoration of functional strength and stability, psychological and social factors play an important role in the recovery and overall outcome of ACL injuries in the pediatric population. Factors such as psychological readiness to return-to-play (RTP), motivation, mood disturbance, locus of control, recovery expectations, fear of reinjury, and self-esteem are correlated to the RTP potential of the young athlete. A better understanding of these concepts may help to maximize young patients’ outcomes after ACL reconstruction. The purpose of this article is to perform a narrative review of the current literature addressing psychosocial factors associated with recovery after ACL injury and subsequent reconstruction in young athletes. Our goal is to provide a resource for clinicians treating youth ACL injuries to help identify patients with maladaptive psychological responses after injury and encourage a multidisciplinary approach when treating young athletes with an ACL rupture.

scholarly journals Does Graft type affect the Cost of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing Approach Comparing Hamstring and Bone Patella Bone Autograft

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (7_suppl6) ◽  
pp. 2325967120S0050
Author(s):  
Ilexa Flagstad ◽  
Megan Reams ◽  
Marc Tompkins ◽  
Bradley Nelson ◽  
Breana Siljander ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Healthcare Costs ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Cost Of Care ◽  
Activity Based Costing ◽  
Acl Injuries ◽  
Total Cost ◽  
Anterior Cruciate ◽  
The Cost

Objectives: Annually, an estimated 250,000 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions are performed. Operative management of ACL injuries has increased 22% between 2002 and 2014. With national healthcare expenditures rising at unsustainable rates, an improved understanding of healthcare costs is essential to identifying avenues of inefficiency and implement innovative solutions. This study is purposed to utilize time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) to estimate the costs for the two-year care episode in the surgical reconstruction of ACL tears. Provided its high incidence, the operative reconstruction of ACL injuries serves as a prime setting for this study. Methods: This study follows 611 patients that underwent an ACL reconstruction for an acute ACL tear between 2009-2016 within a single outpatient orthopaedic surgery center (Figure 1). Patient demographics were collected via the electronic medical record (EMR) (Table 1). The total cost-of-care was determined using time-driven activity-based-costing (TDABC). This formula derives the cost of care as a function of the time spent for each activity and personnel cost contributions for all involved. This process was performed at all phases: surgical intervention, all clinical follow-ups, and physical therapy (PT) sessions. Results: A total of 611 patients were included for this investigation. The patient sample was primarily female (n=355, 58.1%) with an average age of 28.9 + 12.9 [27.9, 30.0], and average BMI of 25.5 + 4.5 [25.2, 25.9]. The majority of the patients identified with an Anesthesiologist Society of America (ASA) score of 1 (n=505, 83.9%). The average operative time was 107.1 + 31.5 minutes [104.6, 109.6]. The average TDABC cost-of-care was derived at $3364.95 + $958.99 [$3288.75, $3441.14]. Surgical costs occupied the greatest proportion of the overall cost-of-care, $1836.11 (53.2%), followed by costs relating to surgical implants, $911.61 (27.1%), physical therapy appointments, $342.00 (10.2%), and clinical follow-up appointments, $318.77 (9.5%) (Figure 1). A total of 459 (75.1%) patients were treated with an autograft, averaging a total cost-of-care of $2882.19, with the 90th percentile costing $3427.23 and 10th percentile costing $2343.08, reporting a 16.0% variability in costing. Of the 152 (24.9%) allografts, the average cost of care was $4884.10, with the 90th percentile costing $5321.50 and 10th percentile costing $4411.25, reporting a 9.0% variability. Hamstring autografts reported a significantly higher cost-of-care when compared to bone-patellar-bone (BTB) autografts (Hamstring: $3120.10 vs BTB: $2718.60; p<0.01). Conclusion: Given the increasing frequency of ACL procedures performed, an improved understanding of its costing components is critical for implementing change and strategizing solutions for increasing healthcare costs. Operative costs drive the total cost of care with implants, graft choice, and surgical resources constituting almost 80% for the two-year cost episode. With the growing focus of healthcare transitioning towards value-based healthcare delivery and cost reduction, identifying areas of costing inefficiency in surgical decision-making and implant-choice provides an avenue to reduce costs. [Figure: see text][Table: see text]

scholarly journals COST-EFFECTIVENESS FOR RETURN-TO-PLAY (RTP) PROGRAMS AFTER ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT RECONSTRUCTION

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4_suppl3) ◽  
pp. 2325967120S0019
Author(s):  
Christopher DeFrancesco ◽  
Drake Lebrun ◽  
Joseph Molony ◽  
Peter D. Fabricant
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Return To Play ◽  
Base Case ◽  
Rehabilitation Protocol ◽  
Graft Rupture ◽  
Anterior Cruciate ◽  
The Cost

Background: Rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a common injury in young athletes. Safe return-to-play (RTP, i.e. sports competition) is important to patient satisfaction, and appropriate criteria for RTP may reduce the risk of graft injury. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess the cost-effectiveness of a comprehensive RTP rehabilitation protocol relative to standard post-ACL reconstruction rehabilitation. Methods: A decision-analysis model was utilized to compare standard rehabilitation with an RTP program which included supplemental neuromuscular retraining, functional testing, and clinical follow-up. Cost-effectiveness was evaluated from a payer perspective. Costs of surgical procedures and rehabilitation protocols, risks of ipsilateral graft rupture and contralateral ACL injury, risk reductions due to the RTP program, and relevant utilities based on International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) outcomes were derived from the available literature. An incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of <$100,000/QALY was used to determine cost-effectiveness. Sensitivity analyses were performed on pertinent model parameters to measure their effect on base-case conclusions. In the base-case analysis, the cost of an RTP program was conservatively assumed to be $1,721 more than the standard rehabilitation protocol. The relative risk of ACL graft rupture following completion of the RTP program was assumed to be 0.75 (25% reduction). Results: In the base-case analysis, the RTP program was cost-effective compared with the standard rehabilitation protocol (ICER $54,939/QALY). Based on one-way threshold analyses, the RTP program was cost-effective as long as the additional cost was <$2,092 or the RTP program decreased the incidence of graft rupture by >7.7%. Conclusion: Our data suggests that, assuming modest associated decreases in graft failure, the addition of neuromuscular retraining, functional testing, and clinical follow-up to a formal rehabilitation program is cost-effective. The cost-effectiveness of such additions is related to the costs as well as any associated decreases in subsequent event risk, as shown in Figure 1. Figures: [Figure: see text]

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