Are stiff, painful joints keeping you from doing the activities you enjoy?
Whether you have joint damage from arthritis, an injury or another degenerative disorder, St. Luke’s Orthopedic experts can develop a plan of care that will fit your needs and help you to resume the activities you value most. Our goal is provide coordinated care, from your first discussions with your doctor about your diagnosis, through treatment and rehabilitation.
Joint replacement has advanced dramatically in recent years, and St. Luke’s has not only kept pace with new advances, it is the area’s leader. More than 700 hip and knee replacements are performed every year at St. Luke’s. We’ve earned the Gold Seal of Approval™ from The Joint Commission for our hip and knee replacement programs. Click here to watch a video of a total knee replacement surgery that was recently performed at St. Luke’s.
Groundbreaking Technological Advances
The average length of stay in the hospital for joint replacement is usually 2.5 days. Some patients are home as early as the next afternoon. St. Luke’s utilizes new alternative surgery options that can speed healing and recovery, including:
Rapid Recovery Joint Replacement. Developed at St. Luke’s, Rapid Recovery utilizes a combination of patient education, surgical techniques and a personally tailored pain regimen, to get patients home sooner. Since the program began in 2005, patients are returning home on average in three days or less. The shorter length of stay means St. Luke’s patients have fewer complications, less infections and better outcomes.
Hip Resurfacing. An alternative to total hip replacement, this bone-conserving surgery is often an option for younger patients, as it allows for a more active lifestyle following surgery, and may make future hip surgeries easier. The procedure uses VectorVision flex, a computer-assisted surgery system that allows for more precise and less invasive surgery. St. Luke’s was the first hospital in North America to acquire the ground-breaking technology, and is the only hospital in the area to offer it to their patients.
Minimally Invasive Partial Knee Replacement. This minimally invasive surgery method can be a good choice in situations where the kneecap isn't affected by arthritis. It requires smaller incisions and less muscle cutting, and generally means that patients have less pain, a faster recovery and a shorter hospital stay.
Before Your Surgery
All care begins with you and your surgeon as you decide together if you are a candidate and are personally ready for knee or hip replacement surgery. These discussions will involve looking at all treatment options before considering surgery. If you both decide that surgery is the best choice, you will meet with your surgeon to schedule a date for surgery and also schedule a pre-op appointment for about 3-4 weeks before surgery. At that time your overall health will be evaluated with a brief physical, blood work, urinalysis, X-ray, and heart and lung tests.
Prior to surgery, you will also attend a 60-90 minute STAR (Surgical Screening Testing Admission Registration) appointment. This meeting gives you a chance to ask questions and learn what to expect before, during and after surgery. The STAR appointment begins both your hospital admission process and plans for your discharge. You will also be asked to provide the name of the person (family member, friend or other volunteer) who will be your “personal coach.” This person will accompany you to the hospital on your day of surgery and will be there when you are discharged, as well as attend to you at home during your recovery and rehabilitation.
A few weeks before your surgery, you and your personal coach will attend a 90-minute Total Joint Replacement Informational Class. Class sizes are small – with about 10 other patients – and are held at the hospital every Tuesday. We have a class specifically for knee replacement (10 a.m.) and a class that covers hip replacement (1:30 pm). This class is an extremely important part of your pre-op plan.
The Day of Your Surgery
On the day of your surgery, you and your personal coach will meet with the surgeon to answer any remaining questions you may have. The length of the surgery will vary somewhat from patient to patient, but the St. Luke’s SurgiCare team will provide updates to your personal coach and any family and friends that are in the waiting area.
After Your Surgery
After your surgery, you will be up and walking by that same afternoon or evening. You will also have completed your first session of physical therapy, and will be taking your evening meal while sitting in a chair. Because activity following surgery is important, this quick recovery is due to a pain management program that gets patients up and moving the same day as their surgery. St. Luke’s physical therapists will work with you one-on-one to show you exercises you can do to strengthen and add mobility. Occupational therapists will also assist you in learning to perform everyday activities such as getting dressed and bathing while you are recovering. You can rest assured that you are receiving the best post-surgery therapy possible, as St. Luke’s has received recognition from CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) for over 30 years for our inpatient physical therapy. St. Luke’s is the only hospital in the area to receive accreditation.
You will also take an active role in your discharge planning, with a scorecard of steps to achieve in the hospital. When all the items on the list are checked off, you are free to go home – as soon as the day after surgery!
At Home Recovery & Rehabilitation
Your coordinated care begins at home with your personal coach, who will help you with your exercises and personal routine. Patients may elect to go to a skilled nursing center, however, 75% of our patients successfully rehabilitate at home.
Treatment continues with physical and occupational therapy. The length of therapy varies by each patient, but typically lasts about six to eight weeks, with two or three sessions per week. Therapy can take place at either an outpatient facility close to home, or in-home therapy may be arranged if you qualify. For those in the immediate Cedar Rapids area, St. Luke’s has three convenient Therapy Plus locations. Physical therapy begins with range-of-motion exercises and walking with a cane, walker or crutches. Once those become easier, strengthening exercises are added, as well as transitioning to walking without assistance.
Follow-Up
You can expect to resume normal actitities five to six weeks after your surgery. You'll have a final follow-up appointment with your doctor at that time. Your doctor may want to see you yearly for a quick check to see how your new joint is performing. After you've fully recovered, low-impact actitivies and exercise such as walking, golf and swimming is encouraged to keep your new joint healthy.
Healthcare Associated Infection Rates
At St. Luke’s, we continually work to provide the best care possible for our patients. One way in which we do that is by constantly monitoring and working to eliminate healthcare-associated infections. A recent Iowa Healthcare Collaborative (IHC) report shows the results of the 2011 study which outlines the progress Iowa Hospitals have achieved regarding reducing infections. The results are below and the full report is available here.
The 2011 report includes information for which Iowa hospitals voluntarily collect and report data with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes and reducing infections. IHC has been releasing to the public, hospital-specific healthcare-associated infection (HAI) performance information in its Iowa Report since 2005. “Healthcare quality, improvement and transparency are the cornerstones to the healthcare we provide.” said Sherrie Justice, St. Luke’s director of performance improvement. “The 2011 IHC report follows through on our commitment to our patients and healthcare providers.”
Download a pdf of the complete 2011 Iowa Healthcare Collaborative Study on Healthcare Associated Infection Rates report.
