Cartersville Medical Center to offer anterior approach hip replacement surgical technology

Cartersville Medical Center, a leading orthopaedic facility in northwest Georgia, recently obtained the HANA™ Hip Arthroplasty Table – the only surgical table designed exclusively for the minimally invasive, muscle sparing direct anterior approach to hip replacement.  Cartersville Medical Center is currently the only hospital in northwest Georgia using the HANA table. On June 27 the first anterior approach hip replacement procedure at the hospital was done using the table.  Orthopaedic surgeon Ed Atwell, M.D. performed the procedure.  Mizuho OSI, the leading manufacturer of specialty surgical tables for spinal, orthopedic trauma, and image-guided surgery, is the manufacturer of the HANA™ table.

 

Standard surgical approaches to perform total hip arthroplasties involve either detaching or splitting large muscles that frequently leads to a protracted period of weakness and limp.

 

The Direct Anterior Approach eliminates the need to detach or split muscles and appears to significantly reduce the recovery time following surgery.  "Until recently, the difficulty has been with gaining access to prepare the joint to accept the prosthesis; the development of the HANA table has greatly simplified this process," says Dr. Atwell.  The table is a special articulating table that greatly facilitates the access to the hip joint and the performance of the direct anterior approach to the hip. 

 

With its unique capability to position the leg, the HANA™ enables the surgeon to replace the hip through a single incision, without detachment of muscle from the pelvis or femur. The table allows hyperextension, adduction and external rotation of the hip for femoral component placement – a positioning option not possible with conventional tables. The lack of disturbance to the lateral and posterior soft tissues provides immediate stability of the hip after surgery.

 

This way, the hip can be replaced without detachment of muscle from the pelvis or femur during surgery. The surgeon can simply work through the natural interval between the muscles. The most important muscles for hip function — the gluteal muscles that attach to the pelvis and femur — are left undisturbed and therefore do not require a healing process.

 

Since the first procedure in June, Atwell has performed several direct anterior approach to hip replacement procedures at Cartersville Medical Center.   "We are always looking for better ways to make the performance of a surgical procedure easier or simply better," says Atwell. 

"I believe that hip arthroplasties performed through the direct anterior approach offer tremendous advantages over traditional posterior or lateral approaches and will continue to gain popularity as patients become better educated about these advantages."

 

For more information about Direct Anterior Approach to Hip Replacement or to make an appointment, please call MedLine at 1.800.242.5662.