Extract
There are three current formats for reporting the performance of
orthopaedic implants: prospective, randomized clinical trials; meta-analyses;
and retrospective case series.
Maloney1 argued that
none of these approaches is suitable as an early warning system for problems
related to total joint implants because of the long delays between the
performance of the studies and the publication of the results. To address this
problem, he proposed the creation of a national joint registry that would
accomplish three goals: it would define the epidemiology of joint replacement
surgery in a particular patient population, provide timely information to the
orthopaedic community on the outcomes of joint replacements, and identify risk
factors for a poor outcome and then improve results through continuous
feedback to participating centers and surgeons.