FAST TRACK OUTPATIENT
HIP REPLACEMENT
Eighty five percent of our patients qualify for the FAST TRACK program in which we safely get you out of the hospital and home to expedite your recovery. FAST TRACK is Dr. Ferguson's “outpatient total joint replacement” program developed to allow patients to be discharged on the same day as surgery. Patients and their “Care Partner” are trained BEFORE surgery so that, on the day of the operation they can leave the hospital environment 4-6 hours after the THA.
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BENEFITS OF FAST TRACK OUTPATIENT HIP REPLACEMENT
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Lower risk of hospital-acquired infections with shorter hospital stays
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Significantly less opioid medication administration or narcotic use
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Significantly decreased complications associated with opioid use
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Higher overall patient satisfaction
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In the era of COVID-19, getting home as soon as possible is desirable by almost all patients!
Simply put, patients that qualify for Fast Track same-day-discharge after THA have better surgical outcomes and recoveries. Studies show that outpatient THA recipients have fewer blood transfusions, a lower rate of infection, fewer opioid related complications, and a faster recovery at home.
The aTHA is an atraumatic surgery that tends to require minimal if any pain medications! With contemporary anesthesia, therapy, and medical advances, most patients are able to walk better and with less pain within hours of the surgery than they could before surgery.
While more and more surgeons in the US are offering “ambulatory” joint replacements, Dr. Ferguson has been discharging patients on the day of surgery since 2013. She and her team have developed a finely tuned program to ensure the predictability, safety and comfort associated with leaving the hospital on the day of surgery.
Do I qualify for FAST TRACK outpatient hip replacement?
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Desire to start recovery at home!
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No significant medical conditions exist that requiring monitoring, IV medications, or interventions.
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Support! A designated “Care Partner” is required who will attend your pre-op appointment with you and spend at least one night after surgery with you.
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Preoperative planning for discharge
Our FAST TRACK “Outpatient Total Joint Replacement” program was started by Dr. Ferguson in 2013 in response to one patient’s desire to go home rather than stay in the hospital after her surgery. She was a physical therapist at the hospital, as was her husband. They developed a PREOPERATIVE therapy program for patients and their designated “Care Partner.” The program included patient instruction on how to move around with the walker, navigate stairs and cars, and learn and “what to expect” after hip surgery BEFORE the patient actually had surgery. This preoperative “Prep School” eliminated the need to do post-operative education in the hospital AFTER the operation.
A cardiac surgery anesthesiologist was recruited to determine the best anesthesia to allow patients to start walking within one hour of surgery. Dr. Ferguson, the anesthesiologist and the pain management team developed an opioid free pain management program; minimizing narcotic administration to optimize recovery immediately after surgery and eliminating the use of IV pain medications. With this highly choreographed program, patients were soon able to safely and predictably go home the day of surgery. Now more than 50% of our patients choose Dr. Ferguson’s FAST TRACK program; even when traveling from out of town!
The fact is, aTHA is an atraumatic surgery that tends to require less pain medication than even an arthroscopic surgery! With contemporary anesthesia, therapy, and medical advances, most patients are able to walk without any IV pain medication within 4 hours of surgery.
PREPARATION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS! MOST OF THE WORK IS DONE BEFORE SURGERY SO THAT THE POST-OPERATIVE PERIOD IS SMOOTH SAILING!