Q: What is a knee replacement?
A knee replacement (total knee replacement) is an orthopaedic surgical procedure in
which the end of your thigh bone (femur), the top of your shin bone (tibia), and the back
of your kneecap are replaced with man-made parts called prostheses.
Q: Where will I be referred to have this surgery?
Ask your doctor/specialist where you can have your knee replacement surgery, as this
procedure is performed in the following hospitals:
Eastern Urban Zone
General Hospital – Health Sciences Centre – St. John’s
St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital – St. John’s
Eastern Rural Zone
Carbonear General Hospital – Carbonear
Central Zone
James Paton Memorial Hospital – Gander
Western Zone
Western Memorial Regional Hospital – Corner Brook
Labrador-Grenfell Zone
Charles S. Curtis Memorial Hospital – St. Anthony
Q: How are wait times measured?
For this operation, the wait time is measured from when you and your orthopaedic
surgeon decide to proceed with surgery to when the procedure is completed.
Q: What is the benchmark wait time for knee replacement surgery?
The national benchmark for knee replacement is 182 days. This means that orthopaedic surgeons and the Zones are working together to perform the majority of knee replacements within the 182-day target. The most recent wait times for knee replacement surgery are:
Table 1: Knee Replacement Surgery by Zone for Q2 (July 1 – September 30, 2023-2024)
| Wait Time Information | Zone | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Zone | Central Zone | Western Zone | Labrador-Grenfell Zone | |
| Number of knee replacement procedures completed | 143 | 65 | 58 | 22 |
| 5 out of 10 patients had surgery within this number of days | 420 | 525 | 133 | 327 |
| 9 out of 10 patients had surgery within this number of days | 845 | 841 | 266 | 640 |
| Percentage of patients who had surgery within 182 days | 27% | 31% | 77% | 28% |
Data source: Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services (NLHS), Newfoundland and Labrador