| Introducing New, 23-Hour Total Joint Replacement
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Severe arthritis brought 56-year-old Chuck English to the orthopedic surgeon. Owner of a painting and drywall business, Chuck likely inherited the condition from his parents.
“It was the hips,” says Chuck. “When I walked into the clinic to get it looked at, I had no idea I’d walk out with hip replacement surgery scheduled.”
And not only one hip.
“I was shocked that I needed both hips,” says Chuck. “The one was so bad I could barely walk on it. The other, I didn’t notice as much.”
It wasn’t long before Chuck got another call from WRMC’s Orthopedics and Sports Medicine clinic. He was a candidate for the new “23-Hour” hip replacement, meaning he would be released from the hospital early to continue his recovery in the comfort of his own home.
Knee and hip replacements typically require an average hospital stay of two to three days. Would he be willing? “Holy cow,” says Chuck. “I said yes! Who wants to stay in the hospital any longer than they have to?
With 23-Hour Total Joint Replacement, patients are walking within hours instead of days, recovering at home, and making a quicker return to their normal activities. “We’ve made incredible advances in how we do joint replacement over the past 20 years,” says Kevin O’Halloran, MD, the orthopedic surgeon who performed Chuck’s procedure. “With improvements in pain management and new surgical techniques, like the anterior approach, some patients are good candidates for leaving the hospital sooner than in the past.”
WRMC’s orthopedic surgeons specialize in an anterior approach to hip replacement. This is a minimally invasive procedure that avoids harm to the muscles. In addition to a smaller incision, the technique results in less soft-tissue trauma and allows patients to get back on their feet faster.
“Whether you’re a same-day or overnight patient, we perform the exact same procedure,” explains Dr. O’Halloran. “All of our patients get the benefit of the newest techniques, and for some people, it can result in a shorter hospital stay.”
Good candidates for a 23-Hour Joint Replacement are usually in their 60s or younger and in good general health. Even then, patients are released from the hospital only if they can get out of bed, walk with assistance, use the bathroom and manage a flight of stairs unassisted.
“The surgery went well,” says Chuck. “I was actually exercising my leg that night, just lifting it with my arms. It felt good to move it! That same night after surgery, I had less pain than in years.”
What patients often don’t realize is that it takes a large and dedicated team to deliver optimal care. In addition to the surgery team, there are nurses, hospital physicians, physical therapists, schedulers… even the hospital’s dietitians are involved in creating a seamless experience that’s tailored specifically for each and every patient. It’s what WRMC calls The Promise of One.
“That next morning,” recalls Chuck, “they got me up for therapy. There was a room full of nurses going over the game plan. When they saw me get up out of bed, they were so excited! I was going up and down the steps that very morning on my route to therapy. I left the hospital at about two o’clock that afternoon.”
Chuck’s first surgery occurred late in 2015, but his goal was to have both hips replaced before the end of the year in order to manage his insurance deductible wisely. He was skeptical about replacing both hips within months, though. He worried that he wouldn’t be recovered enough from the first surgery to have the second so soon.
Dr. O’Halloran and his team have made Chuck a believer.
“For a month after the surgery, I went to physical therapy twice a week,” says Chuck. “I had literally no pain in that leg whatsoever. My right one got really jealous.”
Chuck’s attitude toward his second hip replacement?
“This is going to be a breeze!”
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