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J O I N T
R E P L A C E M E N T
"This represents a change in philosophy," says orthopedic surgeon
Christopher S. McClellan, DO. "Twenty years ago, when you had your
knee replaced, you weren't even allowed to walk on it. Then one day,
someone asked, 'Why not?' and the philosophy changed. It's the same
with this. There's no reason for healthy people to stay in a hospital for
2 or 3 days if they have everything they'd need at a hospital right at
home."
Smaller-incision, muscle-sparing surgical techniques for joint
replacement contribute to a successful surgery and recovery, regardless of the setting, says Dr. McClellan. In an outpatient setting, careful
patient selection, state-of-the-art pain management and top-notch
home nursing care are absolutely essential for success. Those are the
areas on which he and his partners concentrated when writing their
protocols. Pain management, specifically ultrasound-guided regional
anesthesia, is a pivotal component of the program.
Advanced anesthesia techniques
Dave Berkheimer, BSN, CRNA, president and CEO of RemCare
Anesthesia Solutions, provides anesthesia services for Advanced
Center for Surgery. "We take a highly individualized approach to anesthesia for patients undergoing total joint replacement in the surgery
center," he said. "Every patient comes to our facility for a personal
pre-operative evaluation, and we do extensive education, which
includes a discussion of the anesthesia blocks we'll be using." They
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O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | M A R C H 2013
