The Lawrence D. Dorr Surgical Techniques & Technologies Award: "Running two rooms" does not compromise outcomes or patient safety in joint arthroplasty.
The practice of scheduling concurrent surgeries—separate procedures performed at overlapping times in different operating rooms by the same surgeon—has been identified as a potential safety risk. This single-institution study found no difference in short- and long-term complication rates for concurrent joint replacement procedures compared to nonconcurrent procedures. Analysis of data from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program also found no elevated risk to patients from concurrent surgeries.