Arizona Orthopaedic Associates Answers Common Misconceptions About Anterior Hip

Replacements
Phoenix orthopedic group introduced anterior hip replacement procedure to Arizon
a, successfully completed more than 1,000 such surgeries to date.
Phoenix, AZ, May 19, 2011 -- Hip replacements are on the rise in America, with t
he number of procedures almost doubling over the past 10 years.
For the past several years, Arizona Orthopaedic Associates (AOA) has been meetin
g that demand with a muscle-sparing procedure, the anterior hip replacement, whi
ch greatly reduces pain and cuts recovery times by up to three months.
Yet even after more than 1,000 surgeries, many people still arrive at AOA’s downto
wn Phoenix office with common misconceptions about the procedure. Arizona Orthop
aedic Associates surgeon Dr. David Ott dispels the myths.
Blood loss
Dr. Ott said the anterior approach rarely requires a transfusion, so much so tha
t AOA surgeons have discontinued requiring patients to donate blood for such sur
geries because they found it unnecessary.
The anterior approach uses a state-of-the-art operating table and intraoperative
x-ray, which helps the Phoenix-based orthopedic surgeons group have patients wa
lking the same day as surgery and returning to full mobility within 2-8 weeks, i
nstead of the typical 2-4 months needed after traditional surgery.
Since no muscle is cut during the replacement procedure, a patient’s recovery time
is significantly shorter. Yet some people have heard incorrectly that there is
a danger of significant blood loss with the anterior approach.
“Some people ask me if blood vessels can be nicked during the procedure,” Dr. Ott sa
id. “That’s completely untrue. The blood vessels are very distant in the anterior ap
proach. There’s less blood loss than a traditional hip replacement. We rarely tran
sfuse our anterior hip patients and have for the most part eliminated self-donat
ion of blood because it hasn’t been needed.”
Risk of major artery injury
Dr. Ott said still others believe there is an inherent danger in performing an a
nterior hip replacement; that major blood vessels can be damaged, leading to sig
nificant artery injury.
“I know of no one who has had any major blood vessel injuries,” Dr. Ott said. “The fem
oral arteries are very distant and nowhere near the field of surgery. The femora
l nerve is closer during the anterior approach but it’s not nearly as close as the
sciatic in the traditional posterior approach.”
Dislocation
Still others have been told by their physicians that the risk of dislocation is
as great, if not greater, with the anterior approach. The opposite is actually t
rue.
In fact, the orthopedic surgeons at AOA have experienced lower dislocation rates
with the anterior approach. Since no muscles are cut during the procedure, ther
e are fewer muscles to rehabilitate following the procedure.
The OSI-Pro-FX, or HANA, table allows AOA surgeons to simply work through the na
tural interval between the muscles, leaving the most important muscles for hip f
unction - the gluteal muscles that attach to the pelvis and femur - undisturbed,
providing patients with the least invasive – and muscle sparing – procedure availab
le and faster recovery time.
“The biggest danger with the anterior approach is that, for those who are not fami
liar with the technique, they can become lost,” Dr. Ott said. “For doctors who are f
amiliar with the technique, it is remarkable procedure.”
Still, surgeons not familiar with the procedure are sometimes hesitant to recomm
end it, Dr. Ott said. That hesitancy, he said, comes more from a fear of the unk
nown than any hard scientific data. The anterior approach is a relatively new te
chnique, learned after residency training and because of that, some doctors caut
ion against it.
“There’s a learning curve with a new procedure,” Dr. Ott said. “That doesn’t mean the surg
ery is inherently more dangerous, it just means some doctors are behind the curv
e.
“In fact, most medical advances occur this way. Often what was once a new innovati
on and thought to be risky or dangerous because it challenged the traditional te
chnique, is now the standard of care.”
With its unique capability to position the leg, the OSI-Pro-FX, or HANA, table e
nables AOA physicians to replace the hip through a single incision, without deta
chment of muscle from the pelvis or femur. The OSI-Pro-FX, or HANA, table allow
s for a positioning option not possible with conventional tables and intraoperat
ive x-ray ensures precise placement of the hip. The result is reduced pain, less
muscle trauma, a lower risk of dislocation and a shorter hospital stay.
For more information, please call 602.631.3161 or visit www.aoa.md.
About Arizona Orthopaedic Associates at Gateway
Arizona Orthopaedic Associates at Gateway is committed to excellence by pledging
to provide the highest quality of orthopedic care possible. Along with the trea
tment of immediate or chronic problems, top-rated and board-certified orthopedic
surgeons strive to integrate the doctrine of prevention in all treatment plans
as a way to alleviate possible future difficulties.
Contact :
Al Stevens
Arizona Orthopaedic Associates
690 N. Cofco Center Ct Suite 290
Phoenix, AZ 85008
480.235.1770
al@stevenspr.com
http://www.aoa.md