Fast Track Total Hip Replacement Study Shows Speedy Recovery After Surgery
According to a new Fast Track Total Hip Replacement protocol, patients can be discharged from the hospital within 2 days of surgery. Fast Track underwent testing in the US in response to patient requests for shorter hospital stays and the expenses of medical care.
According to Lawrence V. Gulotta, MD, from the Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, a screened group of patients undergoing total hip replacement can be discharged 2 days after surgery, without any increase in complications or adverse effects
The protocol encourages patients to move around earlier and more frequently. Also, arrangements are made for a physical therapist to work with the patient after discharge. "Since there were no differences in complication, readmission, and reoperation rates for the Fast Track group compared with the Control group in this study, we feel this proves that a two-day discharge following uncomplicated total hip replacement in a select group of relatively healthy patients is safe,” Gulotta said.
Standard post-operative care was given to 134 patients, with a discharge goal of 4 days. Using the Fast Track protocol, 149 patients had a discharge goal of 2 days post-surgery. The average length of stay in the Fast Track group was just over 2.5 days, compared with patients in the traditional group who averaged a discharge of 4 days or more. Fifty-eight percent were successfully discharged within 2 days of surgery with the Fast Track approach, and 73% within 3 days.
More results are published online in Springer`s HSS Journal.