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 Health
General Hospital – Health Sciences Centre – St. John’s
St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital – St. John’s

Central Health
James Paton Memorial Hospital – Gander

Western Health
Western Memorial Regional Hospital – Corner Brook

Labrador-Grenfell Health
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 health regions are working together to perform the majority of knee replacements within the 182-day target. The most recent wait times for knee replacement surgery in the RHAs are:

Table 1: Knee Replacement Surgery by Region for Q3 (October 1 to December 31, 2012-2013)

Wait Time Information	Region
	Eastern Health	Central Health	Western Health	Labrador-Grenfell Health
Number of knee replacement procedures completed	120	37	45	12
5 out of 10 patients had surgery within this number of days	110	73	81	31
9 out of 10 patients had surgery within this number of days	211	162	177	69
Percentage of patients who had surgery within 182 days	78%	96%	93%	100%

Data source: Regional Health Authorities, Newfoundland and Labrador
Date: April 30, 2013

Wait Time Information – Total Knee Replacement Surgery (126 KB)