A distributed health data network analysis of survival outcomes: the International Consortium of Orthopaedic Registries perspective.

The International Consortium for Orthopaedic Registries is a multinational initiative established by the United States Food and Drug Administration to develop a health data network aimed at providing a robust infrastructure to facilitate evidence-based decision-making on performance of medical devices. Through the International Consortium for Orthopaedic Registries, individual data holders have complete control of their data and can choose to participate in studies of their choice. In this article, we present an overview of the data extraction process and the analytic strategy employed to answer several device performance-related questions in total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty. In the process, we discuss some nuances pertinent to International Consortium for Orthopaedic Registries data that pose certain statistical challenges, and we briefly suggest strategies to be adopted to address them.