24-hour hip replacements piloted
A new technique is being used to cut the recovery time for hip replacement operations.
The procedure involves two small incisions, rather than a traditional 30cm cut. It also allows for muscle to be moved aside during the operation, rather than having it cut away.
Patients that have had the operation report that they can walk comfortably the following day. This has raised the prospect of patients leaving hospital the day after going under the knife, rather than more than a week later as is common now.
Several London Hospitals are trialling the technique, which is also being used in the USA. It is likely that patient progress will be monitored further before the operation is made available nationally.
A national rollout will also be slowed by a shortage of surgeons trained in the new methods.
If all is found to be well with the experimental treatment, it will save the NHS millions of pounds as it clears beds and raises the number of operations that can take place. However, as many as one in five cases may not be able to benefit as it would be medically unsuitable.
Hip replacement operations are a major boost to the quality of life of those that receive them, but the growing proportion of elderly people in society means that such advances are vital to ensuring future provision.
The news follows a court case in which a judge backed a claim that the NHS has a duty to pay for treatment abroad when a patient suffers an undue delay. The principle was established despite the judge’s conclusion that the claimant, who had gone abroad for a hip replacement, had not suffered undue delay, and was thus not entitled to have costs refunded.
