New technology reduces length-of-stay times at the Nuffield

New data released by Nuffield Health Exeter Hospital shows the length-of-stay for orthopaedic surgery has declined by forty per cent in the past decade. The figures relate to patients undergoing a total hip or knee replacement. The length-of-stay for a total hip replacement has declined 42 per cent from an average six night stay in 2006 to three-and-a-half nights in 2015. For total knee replacement the decline has been equally as dramatic, down from 5.8 nights in 2006 to 3.5 nights in 2015, a reduction of 40 per cent.

Mr John Timperley, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon said, “The past ten years have seen changes in the technology and techniques used for orthopaedic surgery which have reduced the need for lengthy hospital stays and improved recovery times. Incisions have become smaller and there has been a reduction in the amount of trauma to the area around the joint by leaving tendons intact and sparing tissue.”

Nuffield Health Exeter Hospital has been performing orthopaedic surgery for over 50 years and in 2015, helped improve the lives of 1926 patients through orthopaedic interventions.

Mr Timperley said, “In Exeter we see patients with all sorts of conditions each year; people with arthritis following sports injuries, those who have developed painful joints due to osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis and those with congenital abnormalities. The types of treatments we’re able to provide today were merely pipedreams a generation ago.”

Mr Timperley said, “There are hundreds of combinations of hip implants available. However, the Exeter Hip, continually developed by surgeons from the Hip Unit here in Exeter, has arguably the best result of any type of hip replacement and for that reason it is the most widely implanted stem in many countries, including the UK. A modular design allows the use of the very best articulating surfaces.”

Earlier this year Nuffield Health revealed a dramatic rise in the number of hip and knee replacements in those under 55. The rise is attributed partly to the Baby Boomer generation seeking treatment to maintain active lives.

Nuffield Health Medical Director Geoff Graham said, “Nuffield Health has been involved in some of the most important developments in orthopaedic surgery. Our hospital in Oxford was an early home for the development of the Oxford Knee which was pioneered forty years ago this year - now used the world over. More recently surgeons working in our hospitals have begun using a new technique for hip replacement, which can mean patients are up walking in a matter of hours after surgery.”