Spinal anesthesia is a grossly underutilized gold standard in primary total joint arthroplasty: propensity-matched analysis of a national surgical quality database

CONCLUSION: Spinal anesthesia remains a grossly underutilized tool despite providing better perioperative outcomes compared to general anesthesia. As orthopedic surgeons navigate the challenges of value-based care, spinal anesthesia represents an invaluable tool that should be considered the gold standard in elective, primary total hip and knee arthroplasty.