Number of primary knee replacement operations in 12 months

What this data shows:

This figure shows the total number of primary total knee replacement procedures recorded on the National Joint Registry for the period 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018, where surgery is recorded in the name of the selected surgeon.

These primary total knee replacement procedures may have been undertaken in any of the hospitals in which the surgeon has practised over the time period, and includes both NHS- and privately-funded activity.

How the data is gathered:

A primary procedure is the first time a total joint replacement is carried out on any individual joint in a patient.

Primary knee procedures are categorised in three ways. The knee has three compartments; under the knee cap (patellofemoral), the inside joint (medial tibiofemoral) and the outside joint (lateral tibiofemoral). If only one compartment is replaced then this is usually called a unicompartmental “partial” replacement. A unicompartmental replacement can be used in the medial, lateral or patellofemoral compartment. If all three are replaced then it is referred to as a “total knee replacement”. In a total knee replacement the kneecap may, or may not, be resurfaced with a plastic button.

When the data is shown:

You can find out more about this surgeon by clicking on the ‘View source information’ link on the previous page. This includes for example, further information on the national averages for primary knee procedures.

If you would like to ask your surgeon more about the number of procedures they carry out of any type then please make a note of this question to take to any relevant appointment with the surgeon or a member of his or her team at the hospital.

The consultant orthopaedic surgeon who is responsible for your care is not always the same as the operating surgeon. However, the consultant in charge is responsible for you as the patient.

More information about the data source:

This data represents information entered by each hospital into the NJR. Whilst the NJR takes steps to prevent errors, by validation at the point of data entry, it is possible for data entry errors to occur.

The accuracy and validity of the data relies heavily on the diligence of hospitals and surgeons entering all primary and revision operations. It is the responsibility of the surgeon, healthcare team and hospital to make sure that all cases are registered (known as compliance) and accurate. Participation in the NJR has been mandatory since April 2011 for NHS hospitals and since April 2003 for the independent (private) sector.

The compliance rate for each hospital is presentedon the corresponding hospital profile(s) atwww.njrsurgeonhospitalprofile.org.uk.

Data Source:

National Joint Registry (NJR) database

Data Period:

12 months between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018

Data Supplier:

National Joint Registry for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man

Further Information:

The NJR has collected information about hip and knee joint replacement procedures since April 2003, ankle joint replacements since April 2010 and elbow and shoulder joint replacements since April 2012. Submission to the NJR is mandatory.

www.njrsurgeonhospitalprofile.org.uk  (for surgeons and hospitals)

www.njrcentre.org.uk                                  (for more information about the NJR)

www.njrreports.org.uk                                 (for the NJR’s Annual Report information)