Hospital da Luz Coimbra performed two more interventions of total hip arthroplasty , a minimally invasive surgical approach, using upper right route. Armando Pires , orthopaedist at this hospital, led the team that performed these arthroplasties, counting with the collaboration of Javier Ara Pinilla, head of the Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology Service from Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria (Santa Cruz de Tenerife). “The upper right route is another little aggressive route to approach the hip. Small incisions are made, blood loss is minimum and there is minor lesion of the soft tissues. Consequently, there is a decrease in pain on post-operative period, inpatient time is reduced and recovery is faster, with less complications, when compared with traditional approaches”, explains Armando Pires. “Considering these advantages, it is possible that patients will resume their daily activity soon after surgery , with lesser risk of luxation and other complications. On average, inpatient time goes from 1 to 3 days”, as further refers the orthopaedist. Total hip arthroplasty is a procedure largely applied for the treatment of coxarthrosis , with excellent results in pain relief and quality of life improvement. This surgery can be made through different approach routes, which have direct impact on the patient’s recovery, as well as on the prosthesis functionality and in terms of post-operative pain. “Another advantage of these surgeries is in patients with femoral neck fractures : when they are young, they have lower luxation indexes, if we perform this kind of approach”, adds, on his turn, Javier Ara Pinilla. In the photo above , the team that performed these surgeries: Jorge Fonseca, Javier Pinilla, Gonçalo Marques, Armando Pires, João Pereira, Joana Pinto, José Andrade and Pedro Nascimento.
