DRG Category: 461

Mean LOS: 8.1 days

Description SURGICAL: Bilateral or Multiple Major Joint Procedures of Lower Extremity with Major CC

DRG Category: 483

Mean LOS: 3.9 days

Description SURGICAL: Major Joint and Limb Reattachment Procedure of Upper Extremity with CC or Major CC

DRG Category: 553

Mean LOS: 5.7 days

Description MEDICAL: Bone Disease and Arthropathies with Major CC

classification section:



Degenerative joint disease (DJD), or osteoarthritis, is a nonsystemic, noninflammatory, progressive disorder of movable joints that is associated with aging and accumulated trauma. It is characterized by ulceration of articular cartilage that leaves the underlying bone exposed. Irritation of the perichondrium (the membrane of fibrous connective tissue around the surface of cartilage) and periosteum (the fibrous membrane that forms the covering of bones except at their articular surfaces) causes proliferation of cells at the joint margins. Extensive hypertrophic changes produce bony outgrowths or spur formation that expand into the joint, causing considerable pain and limited joint movement when they rub against each other.

Idiopathic osteoarthritis (OA), or primary DJD, can occur unilaterally in one or more joints and is usually associated with wear and tear of the hand, wrist, hip, and knee joints. Approximately 80% to 90% of all persons over 65 years of age have evidence of idiopathic OA. Secondary DJD is related to trauma in one or two joints, particularly the knees. The major weight-bearing, cervical spine, and distal interphalangeal joints are most often affected. The course of the disease is slow and progressive, without exacerbations and remissions. Patients may experience limitations that range from minor finger discomfort to severe disability of the hip or knee joints.