- Cost of day in hospital bed is £400 and increases chance of complications
- Surgeons at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals are conducting a trial
- 20 patients will be operated on with the aim to discharge them same day
- Chris Walker, 71, was and discharged ten hours after his hip surgery
Ben Spencer Medical Correspondent For The Daily Mail
43
View
comments
A hip-replacement patient has become the first in the country to be discharged from hospital on the same day as his operation.
The breakthrough could save the NHS millions as more than 95,000 hip replacements are performed by the NHS in England each year and typically involve a hospital stay of three to five days.
A day in a hospital bed costs the NHS £400 on average and increases the chance of a patient developing heart problems and becoming infected with superbugs such as MRSA.
Surgeons at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust are conducting a trial with 20 patients to see if they can operate without keeping them in overnight.
Chris Walker, 71, was booked into Castle Hill Hospital in Hull at 7.30am last Monday – and discharged ten hours later. Patients are kept in hospital for pain management – something Mr Walker said he could do at home
-
We can rebuild her, we have the technology! Cookie becomes…
MATT ROBERTS: Recovery after a hip op? Start at the bottom
-
Jaw cancer patients spared misery of facial disfigurement by…
Chris Walker, 71, was booked into Castle Hill Hospital in Hull at 7.30am last Monday – and discharged ten hours later.
‘It has been great,’ the retired electrician said from his home in Beverley, East Yorkshire.
‘It is certainly more relaxed being here than being in a hospital situation and I’m looking forward to being able to walk the dog and get on my bike again. Once I was out of surgery the only thing they could do for me in hospital was to look after me and manage the pain.
‘But my wife Barbara and I are quite able to do that at home.’
Patients have been selected to take part in the trial only if they are otherwise fit and healthy.
A day in a hospital bed costs the NHS £400 on average and increases the chance of a patient developing heart problems and becoming infected with superbugs such as MRSA. Pictured, Chris Walker and wife Barbara
Patients are given a tablet computer with dedicated rehabilitation information and detailed instructions about medication
They will each undergo intensive pre-op physiotherapy, as well as learning how to use crutches and other mobility techniques before the operation. Following the surgery, physiotherapists ensure the patients can get up and down stairs and then they are discharged.
The project relies on high-quality after-care, with each participant given six weeks of physiotherapy at home.
The patients are also given a tablet computer with dedicated rehabilitation information and detailed instructions about medication.
If they have any problems the patients are able to contact their hospital team via video-chat.
Consultant orthopaedic surgeon Elizabeth Moulder, who is leading the project, said: ‘There has been a gradual change in attitudes over recent years.
‘When hip replacements were first done patients would be in bed for two weeks post-surgery, but there has been increasing awareness that early mobility reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke.
‘So long as we can guarantee they are getting the same care and physiotherapy support in or out of hospital, people would rather be at home.’
The trial has been part-funded by Sheffield firm JRI Orthopaedics, which makes the Furlong hip implants used in the trial.
The company is entirely owned by charity Orthopaedic Research UK, which donates its profits to research into bone and joint medicine.
Share or comment on this article
-
Extended video of Harambe shows gorilla holding the boy’s…
-
Terrified four-year-old grabbed and dragged by 400lb gorilla
-
Giant alligator strolls casually across Florida golf course
-
Two Middle aged couples bust out in brawl over Costco…
-
Crazy road rage driver runs over motorcyclists with his car
-
Gorilla carries a three-year-old to safety in 1996 incident
-
Cincinnati zoo director defends decision to kill Harambe
-
Bikini-clad woman squats her friend in viral video
-
CCTV shows Karen Perez leaving a taqueria before her death
-
Riley Curry refuses to give Stephen a kiss after Game 7
-
Puppy goes wild meeting Star Wars BB-8 for the first time
-
Woman leaves wisdom teeth operation thinking she’s in…
-
EXCLUSIVE: Parents-of-four whose son fell into zoo enclosure…
-
New video footage of Harambe shows the 400-pound gorilla…
-
‘It was like it came out of Jurassic Park!’ Monster…
-
‘He didn’t beat his chest’: Animal expert says Harambe the…
-
Parents of four-year-old who caused Harambe the gorilla’s…
-
Vicious brawl erupts between two middle-aged couples outside…
-
PICTURED: The three-year-old boy who fell into zoo’s gorilla…
-
EXCLUSIVE – Johnny Depp parties until 2am with mystery…
-
Johnny Manziel heads into Jay Z’s 40/40 Club with blonde…
-
Husband who killed his wife’s would-be rapist is CHEERED as…
-
Man ‘killed girlfriend and posted photo of her dead body to…
-
The rape allegation dividing an Idaho town: White mother of…
Comments (43)
Share what you think
-
Newest -
Oldest -
Best rated -
Worst rated
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
Find out now