Joint Replacements in an Outpatient Setting
The surgical population for joint replacements is getting younger. Patients are interested in getting home as soon as possible, and returning to as high an activity level as possible.
One of the biggest postoperative challenges for patients undergoing total knee, hip or shoulder replacements is pain. Historically, pain has kept patients in the hospital on an average of two to three days. Pain limits patients ability to participate in physical therapy and has led to longer hospital stays.
Premier Surgical Center of Michigan has developed a comprehensive protocol that allows motivated patients to have their total hip, knee or shoulder replacement done in an outpatient setting and go home the same day or the following morning.
Through a combination of minimally invasive surgical techniques, regional anesthesia, and a state-of-the-art facility, patients are able to get out of bed and participate in physical therapy hours after their surgeries and recover in their own homes.
Newer Techniques for a Better and Faster Recovery
Our patients have extremely high satisfaction with the rapid recovery protocol. It’s better for the patient to go home as soon as possible. The hospital environment can be counterproductive for healing. Hospital acquired infections are a reality, and the longer a patient stays in the hospital environment, the higher the chance is for a post-operative infection. Moreover, complications such as blood clots are lessened if patients are allowed to get out bed and walk.
Newer anesthetic techniques have revolutionized hip, knee and shoulder replacement. Patients receive a regional anesthetic, similar to a local anesthetic, and then are placed into a twilight sleep. This allows patients to avoid general anesthesia and lessens complications such as post-operative nausea, vomiting, and confusion. Immediately after surgery, our patients are awake, alert and ready to participate in physical therapy. Premier also uses a time-released local anesthetic that lasts 48 hours, the time period where patients’ pain is most intense. There is an emphasis on using non-narcotic pain relievers like intravenous anti-inflammatories and Tylenol. Intravenous narcotics are counter-productive to recovery. They will lower blood pressure, increase nausea/vomiting, lessen the desire to get out bed, are constipating, and slow the recovery process.
Credentialed Surgeons Focused on Accurate Reconstruction
Our total joint surgeons use advanced minimally invasive surgical techniques to focus on accurate reconstruction of the joint. All incisions are closed with absorbable sutures, so there are no staples or sutures to remove. Patients are healing faster and their surgeons are seeing them at two weeks out of surgery at a level of mobility that usually took three months for both hip and knee replacements.
Total Hip and Knee patients receive outpatient physical therapy usually starting in their home and then transition to outpatient physical therapy in 1-2 weeks.
Complete Care From Start to Finish
We are interested in the complete care of the patient from surgery through recovery. Our patients that have undergone rapid recovery total joint replacement are routinely more satisfied than those that have undergone traditional joint replacement. As one patient said, “Why would anyone do it differently?”.
Not every patient is a candidate for ambulatory surgery. Your candidacy depends on your outpatient mindset, home situation, and other underlying medical conditions. For a consultation to determine if you would quality for outpatient total joint surgery, please contact one of our total joint specialists.