A GERMAN woman is already back on her feet after getting a hip replacement and becoming the first inpatient at the new King Hamad American Mission Hospital (KHAMH).
The 64-year-old was suffering from severe hip osteoarthritis and wanted a surgery that would give her a speedy recovery.
“A modern surgical technique is needed to avoid any muscle damage and minimise bleeding; this way we completely abandoned the use of drains and made the recovery extremely fast,” explained KHAMH orthopaedics department head Dr Gianluca Cusmà Dovico Guatteri.
“Dedicated anaesthesia and physiotherapy techniques supported the procedure and the patient was able to stand up the same day of the surgery and walk less than 24 hours after, without pain and with extreme confidence.”
Osteoarthritis, sometimes called ‘wear-and-tear arthritis’, is a common condition that many people develop as they age, although younger people, especially those who have had a prior joint surgery, can also develop it. It can occur in any joint in the body, but most often develops in weight-bearing joints, such as the hip, lower back, knees and neck.
The US-based Arthritis Foundation notes that osteoarthritis of the hip causes pain and stiffness, and can make it hard for the patient to do everyday activities like bending over to tie a shoe, rising from a chair, or taking a short walk.
Osteoarthritis is by far the most common form of arthritis, affecting more than 32.5 million adults in the US, according to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. It gradually worsens over time and the sooner one starts treatment, the minimal the impact on quality of life.
“Properly preparing patients through a meeting with caregivers (surgeon, nurse, anaesthesiologist and physiotherapist) is the integrated way we found to definitely boost the recovery,” Dr Guatteri added.
The KHAMH patient spent her entire life working in the Middle East and was treated by Dr Guatteri, an Italian orthopaedic surgeon specialised in adult hip and knee problems with expertise in joints replacement.
Advanced surgical techniques as well as the latest technology were used to ensure a smooth experience for the patient.
The GDN recently reported that KHAMH is equipped with state-of-the-art robotic surgery technology, a fully-automated pharmacy, a hospital-wide pneumatic tube system and more. It started offering inpatient services at the end of the last month and the six-floor complex has a total of 125 beds as well as a range of international standard facilities including an intensive care unit, paediatric ward, obstetrics and gynaecology department, cosmetic surgery section, dialysis unit, imaging unit and laboratory.
The cutting-edge operating rooms, set up with the latest the medical field has to offer, are also equipped with robots that can assist surgeons in critical operations which require exceptional levels of precision.
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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