Rural-urban differences in characteristics, postoperative outcomes, and costs for patients undergoing knee arthroplasty: a national retrospective propensity score matched cohort study.

Rural KA patients had different clinical characteristics compared with urban patients. While they had a higher likelihood of deep vein thrombosis and RBC transfusion following KA than urban patients, they had fewer readmissions and lower hospitalization costs. Targeted clinical management strategies are needed for rural patients.