NHS Fife has become the first health board in Scotland to perform a successful total knee replacement with the patient, 60 year old Craig Buchanan from Lochgelly, admitted and discharged within 12 hours following successful surgery.
The average length of hospital stay for a knee replacement in NHS Fife is approximately three days; however, day-case patients can be discharged in less than 12 hours to continue their recovery at home. Currently, approximately 15 per cent of people requiring knee replacement are suitable for day-case surgery.
Sarah Mitchell, the consultant orthopaedic surgeon who carried out the procedure said: “The new method requires a programme of preparation and – instead of using spinal anaesthetic – the area around the knee is numbed. This means patients can mobilise quicker after their surgery, reducing loss of muscle and other associated risks such as clots”.
“Mr Buchanan was our first day-case knee replacement and since then we have had another successful surgery. The feedback from Mr Buchanan has been overwhelmingly positive and he says the experience he had compared to his previous knee replacement – where he remained in hospital for his recovery – was much better.”
Day-case knee replacement is the latest orthopaedic innovation in NHS Fife which was also the first health board in Scotland to carry out successful day-case hip replacement last year.
As previously reported, NHS Fife recently outlined plans for a new Elective Orthopaedic Centre at the Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy. The development, which will be completed in March 2022, will see the creation of a state of the art facility that will host three operating theatres, a 34 bed supporting ward, and associated outpatient facilities. A key feature of the centre will be a day-case bed area of the orthopaedic ward to be dedicated to enhanced recovery patients.
