Local doctor now offering outpatient joint replacement procedures
Patients can safely return home the same day as their procedure
–Dr. William Sima, a local Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon, has recently announced that he is offering outpatient same day total joint replacement at his practice in Templeton.
Outpatient same day total joint replacement procedures represent the next trend in arthroplasty surgery, according to Dr. Sima. “Many surgeries done today as outpatient procedures were once regarded as ‘inpatient’ procedures,” he explains. “These include ACL reconstruction, rotator cuff repair, upper extremity surgery and arthroscopy. Just a decade ago, a cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) was performed as an inpatient procedure. Improvements in surgical techniques and anesthesia protocols have allowed surgeons to safely perform these operations in a dedicated surgical suite where patients can safely return home the same day as their procedure. Patient selection, medical optimization and perioperative care and planning are essential.”
Common patient apprehensions regarding pain control and becoming dependent on others have been addressed and optimized, Dr. Sima says. “We have a better understanding of the entire pain pathway and can therefore effectively control pain using a combination of approaches beginning at the level of the tissue all the way up to the central nervous system.” Patients are independent the same day of surgery and can demonstrate the ability to transfer from a bed, a chair, and to ascend and descend a flight of stairs.
To make all of this possible requires a team of individuals dedicated to the entire care experience including perioperative care, imaging, anesthesia, postoperative management and outpatient therapy providers. For patients who are appropriate candidates and are medically optimized the surgeon efficiently controls the local environment and therefore can directly improve overall patient care and satisfaction in the outpatient setting.
In an observational, case controlled study conducted between 2008 and 2011 there were 119 outpatient total hip replacements performed using the anterior approach. These were compared with inpatient controls n= 78. There was no difference in complications or blood loss. However, there was a total cost reduction of $6,778 in the outpatient group.
“We are very excited to now offer outpatient anterior total hip replacement surgery, total knee replacement surgery and uni-compartmental knee replacement to our select patients,” said Dr. Sima.
Watch this Youtube video below of a patient who just underwent outpatient anterior total hip replacement with Dr. Sima. He is seen here walking around just four hours post-op:
And below is a video of a patient just two and a half weeks after his hip replacement:
More about William F. Sima, MD
Dr. William Sima.
Dr. William F. Sima is a Board-Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon, specializing in: minimally invasive surgery, sports medicine, hip and knee replacement and arthroscopy, hip resurfacing, anterior approach to hip replacement, ACL reconstruction, rotator cuff repair, carpal tunnel, hand care, subchondroplasty, platelet rich plasma treatments, stem cells, and viscosupplementation. He graduated from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine in 1985. He speaks English and some Spanish. Dr. Sima’s office is located at 322 Posada Lane, Suite A, in Templeton, For more information, visit his website at williamsima.com or call (805) 434-5555.
Comments
