Atlanta Outpatient Orthopedic: Joint Replacement for Knees & Hips

Introduction

As we modernize our practice at Atlanta Bone & Joint, we have begun to invest time and focus on performing outpatient orthopedic joint replacement for knees & hips. With excellent surgical times, better blood loss control and better anesthesia, we have addressed all the main concerns for you to optimize your surgery and your outcome! As we strive to address increasing costs for Atlanta inpatient total hip and knee joint replacements, we have worked tirelessly to develop protocols to allow our patients to go home the same day as their joint replacement surgery. Results have been so promising that Medicare will now allow, starting January 1, 2018, for outpatient total knee replacements to be performed.

So Who is the Right Candidate for an Outpatient Joint Replacement Surgery?
Is it me?

In Atlanta, being able to perform an outpatient orthopedic total joint replacement for knees & hips relies more on the patient than the surgeon. In order to know if you are a candidate, you must have a lot of help from family and/or friends, easy access to get into your house/bedroom/bathroom, someone to be able to drive you to therapy, and most importantly, have the strength to use accommodating devices like walkers and canes.
You can answer the simple questionnaire in the button below to see if you would be a good candidate. Our office will contact you within 1-2 business days after receiving your survey!

How does it work?

Our process is checklist driven. We want to make sure you understand the pathway to a successful outcome. An Atlanta outpatient orthopedic total hip or knee replacement patient's first job is to be well informed. All equipment needed for post operative care like raised toilets, walkers and assistive devices as well as DVT pumps must be delivered prior to surgery. All prescriptions must be filled prior to surgery to ensure no issues occur with pharmacy pick-ups the day of surgery.

Cosmetics Matter. We Stay Minimally Invasive and Close Like a Plastic Surgeon

Incisions make all the difference in the world. Nobody wants a big scar. We keep our incisions small at Atlanta Bone and Joint Specialists. Our rule is simple: We make the incision big enough to make sure everything is properly placed and not a millimeter bigger. By using minimally invasive techniques, we reduce pain and increase patient satisfaction. Using the V-Loc stitch, a special barbed and absorbable stitch, we can keep the skin closed from the inside with no painful staples to remove later. Who wouldn't want that?

Typical scar appearance after 2 months.

We Minimize Blood Loss

Transexamic acid has been used for reducing blood loss in surgery. Data shows that with its use prior to joint replacement, we can reduce the likelihood of blood transfusions. We lose less blood and we transfuse less.

By using Transexamic Acid, we have reduced our transfusion (giving blood) rate to nearly zero!

We Keep the Pain Controlled

Exparel has been used to do an adductor canal block. This is a technique where we place a long acting numbing medication on the nerves that supply the area around the joint replacement. Long acting medication means long standing pain relief, leaving you with a less painful total joint replacement.

Exparel is a long acting pain relieving medication used to reduce early postoperative pain

Tourniquetless Knee Replacement

You may have heard about it as a new thing but we've been doing it for years. As pioneers in Orthopedic Surgery, our surgeons do not use tourniquets. Why you may ask?
Imagine having a device strapped around your thigh for 45 minutes, squeezing your muscles as tightly as possible to prevent any blood flow to the rest of the leg. This isn't limb saving trauma surgery, this is joint replacement. Why allow someone to damage muscle with extreme pressures on the thigh muscles? Studies show tourniquets also increase pain by the amount of muscle damage they do. While over 80% of the country still uses a tourniquet, never choose someone who is giving you extra pain for no reason! While other surgeons fear excess blood loss and bleeding during surgery, our surgeons use unique techniques to reduce blood loss with highly specialized tools to stop the bleeding from the start. That's why our doctors don't need a tourniquet.

We do not use tourniquets as this causes severe thigh pain. Click on the image to learn more about tourinquet-less knee replacement.

We Optimize The Surgical Time

Does time matter in total joint replacement? Absolutely. Studies consistently show that longer surgical times are associated with increased pain and increased rates of infection. While some joint replacements are technically more difficult, our surgeons perform total joint replacement the same way, every time. Why, you may ask? To increase operating room efficiency, repeating the same steps repetitively with the same operating team means everyone is on the same page during the joint replacement. With efficiency and expert ancillary staff, you can only expect that we won't waste a second of time when it comes to your joint replacement.

We Get You In Same Day Physical Therapy

After your total joint replacement, you’ll recover in our same-day surgical suite--no overnight hospital stay and no transfer to a hospital floor. Thanks to advanced nerve blocks and minimally invasive techniques, you’ll be up and walking just hours after surgery. Our expert staff will help you walk in the hallway, practice stairs, and build confidence before going home the same day. You’ll receive clear instructions on wound care, showering, pain management, and how to safely use your walker or cane--all before you leave the surgical center.

Emory Decatur Hospital has been awarded Healthgrades top 100 hospitals for Orthopedic Surgery! With our surgeons doing over 50% of the joint replacement volume there, we take pride in helping Dekalb achieve national recognition.

We Are At The Forefront of Blood Clot Prevention

20 years ago, if someone said you'll go home the same day after your knee replacement and NOT be required to inject yourself with a blood thinner, you would think that doctor was crazy. However, today, things are CHANGING! Who wants to inject themselves with painful needles just to prevent a blood clot? Not us! When you go home the same day, you will be given Aspirin 325mg to be taken twice per day for 3-4 weeks after surgery, depending on surgeon preference. To reduce blood clots even further, you will be sent home with DVT (deep vein thrombosis) prevention pumps (as pictured to the right). Together, we follow the American Academy of Orthopaedic Standards to prevent blood clots. It's just another small thing we've thought about to keep you in less pain.