Centenarian regains mobility after complex hip replacement surgery
A 100-year-old woman has regained the ability to walk after undergoing a complex hip replacement surgery for a severe fracture sustained at the age of
A 100-year-old woman has regained the ability to walk after undergoing a complex hip replacement surgery for a severe fracture sustained at the age of 99, underscoring the role of timely surgical intervention and multidisciplinary geriatric care in managing high-risk orthopaedic cases among elderly patients. The surgery was performed at SPARSH Hospital, Yelahanka, where the patient from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh was admitted last year with a displaced left femoral neck fracture with a complex subtrochanteric extension, an unstable injury that is particularly difficult to treat in older adults.
Her advanced age, coupled with a history of chronic bronchial asthma, placed her in the high-risk category for surgery. According to the hospital, the orthopaedic team performed a long-stem, distal-fixing bipolar hemiarthroplasty, a procedure aimed at providing stable fixation by anchoring the implant deeper into the femur. Such an approach is often considered in patients with poor bone quality to facilitate early mobilisation and reduce complications associated with prolonged bed rest. The patient had an uneventful post-operative recovery and was discharged three days after the surgery.
She has since regained independent mobility after turning 100. Her milestone birthday was celebrated at the hospital on Tuesday (July 21), according to the hospital communique. Venugopal N., senior consultant, Orthopaedics, SPARSH Hospital, said treating a complex hip fracture in a 99-year-old patient with chronic bronchial asthma required careful surgical planning because of compromised bone quality and the heightened risks associated with prolonged immobilisation. He said the choice of a long-stem, distal-fixing implant enabled early weight-bearing and contributed to the patient’s recovery.
Thirunavukkarasu Sivaraman, consultant lead, Department of Anaesthesiology and Pain Management, said a customised anaesthesia plan and specialised perioperative monitoring were adopted to manage the patient’s age-related risks and pre-existing medical condition during the surgery.
The BriefWire