Minimally-Invasive Total Hip Replacement Surgery
Last updated Thursday, January 15, 2009
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Preparing for surgeryPreparation Patients may be required to discontinue certain
prescriptions that may increase likelihood of bleeding. Some patients also
donate blood in advance of surgery. In addition, patients are also asked to:
- Have a pre-surgery check up with their primary care physician
or a medicine consultant to ensure they are medically able to handle
the procedure and recovery
- Have a pre-operative visit with the orthopedic nurse to receive
instruction on the procedure itself, what to expect before, during
and after the surgery, and sometimes an advance visit with the physical
therapist to provide a brief description of the rehabilitation they
will need
to start in the hospital and continue at home.
- Make arrangements for someone to assist them with cooking, cleaning
and driving after surgery. It is best to prepare food ahead of time and
put meals in the freezer as food preparation will not be possible for
several weeks during recovery. The patient should make other advance
household preparations as well.
Timing Hip replacement surgery is rarely urgent. It can be delayed
until it is convenient for the patient. It is best to plan the surgery so that
the patient is prepared to be out of action or inconvenienced for four to 8
weeks depending upon the surgery approach.Costs The patient’s insurance company should provide a reasonable
estimate of:
- The
surgeon’s fee,
- The
hospital fee, and
- The
degree to which these should be covered by the patient’s insurance.
Surgical team Hip replacement surgery
should be performed by a board certified or board eligible orthopedic surgeon,
who specializes in the procedure, has received special training and performs
them on a regular basis. Studies suggest
that surgeons who perform many procedures each year (so-called “high-volume
surgeons”) have fewer complications than surgeons who perform joint
replacements only occasionally.
Hip replacements should be performed in an operating room of
a hospital or medical center with the various support services needed for major
surgery. The surgical and post-surgical team should include nursing staff, an
anesthesiologist, plus occupational and physical therapists.Finding an experienced surgeon There is good evidence that the experience of the surgeon performing
total hip replacement affects the outcome. It is important that your surgeon
not only is an experienced orthopedic surgeon; (s)he also should have a high
level of skill and experience with total hip replacements.
Some questions to consider asking your knee surgeon:
- Are you board-certified in orthopedic
surgery?
- Have you done a fellowship (a year of
additional training, beyond the five years required to become an orthopedic
surgeon) in joint replacement surgery?
- Do you do more than 50 hip replacements each
year?
- Does your practice
focus on joint replacement surgery, and the problems of joint replacement
patients?
You may also visit the American Association of Orthopedic
Surgeons web site at www.aaos.org and click
on the “Find a Physician” page. Facilities It is recommended that
hip replacement surgery be performed in an operating room of a hospital or
medical center. It done is on an
inpatient basis, as it is a complex procedure and requires specialized nursing
and support staff.Surgery for Minimally-Invasive Total Hip Replacement Surgery - degenerative joint disease at the University of Washington, Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Seattle, Washington If you are interested in making an appointment to discuss this procedure in Seattle, you can request an appointment using our online referrals website. To request a referral online, please click here. You can also call 206-598-4288 to make an appointment. Our clinical center is located in Seattle Washington, USA
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