Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2012/January 2013 | Page 88

FASHION HEALTH & BEAUTY

Hip op
By Peter White

hooray!

A hip replacement is one of the
most common and successful
operations carried out on the
Island.
Each year around 250 patients
are admitted to St Mary’s Hospital
to undergo the surgery that can
bring to an end what have often
been years of pain and misery. The
operation is fairly straightforward,
but when it was MY turn there was
inevitably some trepidation. The
questions ‘what if...what if?’ went
through my mind. But looking
back I need not have concerned
myself unduly. I could hardly have
been treated better by the dedicated
NHS team, headed by Salim Nasra,
consultant orthopaedic surgeon,
with a special interest in hip and
knee surgery.
Mr Nasra explained: “Hip and
knee replacements are among the
most common operations in the
UK. It is one of the most successful
orthopaedic operations ever
invented, and has improved the
quality of patients’ life in a huge
way.”
The biggest cause of a hip
problem is osteoarthritis, with a
smaller number due to rheumatoid
arthritis. Surgery usually takes
between an hour and 90 minutes.
There are two procedures; one
where the joint is fixed to the bone
88

www.visitislandlife.com

with cement, and the one I had,
which was without cement. With
un-cemented, the joint is coated
with a special material, and the
bone grows into it within six to 10
weeks.
I had some reservations after being
told I would remain semi-conscious
throughout surgery. Mr Nasra
said: “The concept of keeping a
patient semi-conscious rather than
administering a full anaesthetic has
been used for several years. We use
spinal anaesthetic instead (the same
principle as an epidural), which
we feel is good for the patient for
several reasons.
“First, there is no intubation, and
secondly during the operation the
blood pressure remains lower than
usual which reduces bleeding, so
surgery can be carried out more
effectively. More importantly
post-operation you don’t have any
feeling in the legs, so you don’t
need a large amount of painkillers.
Around 85 per cent of patients
undergoing hip replacement are
given this method.”
I can confirm that during surgery,
with headphones on listening to
music, I heard a certain amount
of banging, and recall the sound
of staples being used to seal the
wound. But it seemed a world away.
In fact the anaethetist did speak

Caroline Moul, Sister on Alverstone Ward,
leads a team of nurses dedicated to
providing the highest standard of care. As
a part of this they have developed Pre-op
education sessions for people who need
a replacement hip or knee joint, known as
‘Hip and Knee Schools’.
Patients and family/carers are invited
to attend Alverstone Ward to meet the
Multi-disciplinary teams (MDT) who will
be looking after them - pre-assessment
department, physiotherapy, occupational
therapy, pain nurse specialist, and ward
pharmacist.
This gives the opportunity to see the
environment they will be going into, to allay
fears and get questions answered before
admission. Patients are given a book ‘Joint
Pathway’, which takes them through a
joint replacement. It also provides contact
numbers of the MDT who will be involved
in their care.
The sessions are ever evolving and
feedback is encouraging. Taking away some
of the anxiety before entering hospital is
important to staff who want all patients to
have a positive experience when having
their joint replacement.