People who are generally healthy when they have a total hip replacement can be fast-tracked and discharged in two days, U.S. researchers say.
First author Dr. Lawrence Gulotta, an orthopedic surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, says the standard hospitalization for hip replacement is three to six days.
Patients on the fast track had a physical therapy session on the day of their surgery and their pain medication was discontinued on post-operative day one, while those in the traditional group had pain medication discontinued on day two.
Patients in both groups were sent home with aspirin, an arrangement for physical therapy and management plan for nausea and pain.
The study, published in Springer’s HSS Journal, found 58 percent of the fast-track patients was discharged within two days and 73 percent were discharged within three days — the average discharge time was 2.6 days in the fast track group and 4.1 in the traditional group.
Read the full story at upi.com.
