Dedicated Care for the Hip and Knee
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Focusing solely on adult reconstructive surgery for the hip and knee, the OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center is a regional destination for joint replacement surgery. Through an emphasis on state-of-the-art care, patient education and research, its physicians are dedicated to providing patients with the best possible outcomes.
“At the OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center, we have nine physicians who are trained in hip and knee reconstructive surgeries, which is the largest subspecialty-focused faculty dedicated to these pursuits in the region,” says J. Bohannon Mason, M.D., orthopedic surgeon at the OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center. “This allows patients to benefit from the best possible care and also improves the collaboration between providers, as we have the ability to compare notes and work together on difficult cases. This collaboration greatly enhances the day-to-day management of patient care.”
The OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center focuses on four key areas: patient care, education, research and leadership. This focus, along with an experienced staff, helps to make the OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center unique.
High-Quality Patient Care
In addition to more routine joint replacement procedures, physicians at the OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center are experienced in caring for more complicated cases, including younger patients with conditions such as femoroacetabular impingement, patients with deformities of the hip or knee, and patients who have difficult reconstructive concerns such as a past failed implant, severe bone loss, infection or instability within the joint.
“The OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center is a tertiary referral center for difficult hip and knee problems,” says Thomas Fehring, M.D., orthopedic surgeon at the OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center. “We are able to manage all types of adult reconstructive cases ranging from primary procedures caused by a congenital defect or severe post-traumatic arthritis to more complicated revision procedures.”
“What we have at the OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center is a high level of expertise in managing difficult reconstructive concerns,” adds Dr. Mason. “This experience is leveraged in weekly conferences, which are held with our entire team of physicians. At these conferences, we discuss upcoming cases as well as challenging past procedures. From a learning perspective, this helps us best prepare to care for our patients.”
Advances in Joint Replacement Surgery
As joint replacement surgery has evolved throughout the years, physicians at the OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center have stayed at the forefront of advances in pain management and implant technology. While the mechanism of joint replacement procedures has not changed over the last 30 to 40 years, enhanced pain management has helped to improve patients’ recoveries and lessen the amount of downtime after surgery. Advances in implant technology have also helped to improve the longevity of the implants that are used.
“Throughout the years, there have been advancements in several areas of care,” says Bryan Springer, M.D., orthopedic surgeon at the OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center. “I believe that the biggest advance has been made in the area of pain management. By being pre-emptive rather than reactive with pain protocols, we have been able to ensure that patients’ pain is better controlled, which allows them to regain mobility and recover faster after their procedures. Advances have also been made in the design and durability of the implants, as well an evolution in our surgical techniques and rehabilitation protocols.”
The surgical focus of the OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center includes the use of less invasive surgical approaches — such as management of the young adult hip with the use of arthroscopy — and open approaches, including osteotomies that are technically difficult to perform.
Enhancing Clinical Care Through Research
The OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center is greatly involved in research and is partnered with the OrthoCarolina Research Institute. Currently, 52 active research projects are being carried out through the OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center. The OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center is also involved in 10 FDA clinical trials, and a number of prospective clinical trials are under way. OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center physicians have published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles on joint replacement and have authored more than 30 chapters on joint replacement surgery in medical textbooks.
“Because we routinely treat difficult cases, we are able to better focus our research efforts on solving some of these more complex concerns,” says Dr. Mason. “Through our research, we have been able to develop technologies that have led to day-to-day improvements in patient care. For example, one of the more difficult problems that we face in reconstruction of the hip is pelvic discontinuity — where the top half of the pelvis is separated from the bottom half due to bone loss or fracture. We recently reported a series of custom Triflange reconstructive cases that have really set the mark for recovery and healing in patients who suffer from pelvic discontinuity.”
An Emphasis on Education
Physicians at the OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center understand that patients can often be anxious before their joint replacement procedures. Ensuring ample time is taken to provide patients with information about the surgery and recovery process, patients and their families will experience much less anxiety on the day of their procedure.
“One aspect of our practice that we really pride ourselves on is in the area of patient education,” says Neil Sheth, M.D., orthopedic surgeon at the OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center. “Patients have multiple points of contact with physicians, which provides them with several opportunities to ask questions. A medical assistant is also employed to assist with paperwork, preliminary information and any research trials the patient could potentially become involved with. Our surgery scheduler also sends out a detailed packet of information around the time of surgery that outlines what to expect before and after surgery, and explains preparations that will need to be made, such as stopping certain medications at the appropriate time.”
Patient education classes have also been developed to provide additional information. These classes are open to both patients and their families.
“Our goal is to ensure that every patient is educated about surgery and understands our expectations,” says Dr. Springer. “This allows for a team — consisting of the patient, his or her family, therapists, physicians and nurses who are all onboard with the treatment and recovery plan — approach to helping the patient recover and achieve the best possible outcome after surgery. In many cases, this understanding is even more important than the surgical technique employed or the implant that is used.”
In addition to providing patient education, the physicians at the OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center are also involved with the education of new physicians. A fellowship program is in place at the OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center that allows physicians to spend a year gaining experience in the techniques that are employed for reconstructive cases of the hip and knee. More than 25 fellows have been trained through this fellowship program, with three fellows currently on staff.
Leaders in Their Field
Physicians at the OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center are involved in many state and national organizations, including the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, Knee Society, Hip Society, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery, North Carolina Medical Society and the North Carolina Orthopaedic Association.
“The OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center is involved in leadership on a national front,” says Dr. Fehring. “Many of our physicians hold leadership positions in these prestigious organizations.”
For more information about the OrthoCarolina Hip & Knee Center, please visit www.orthocarolina.com or call
(704) 323-2564.
MD News March/April 2011, Greater Charlotte
who manufactures your knee replacement hardware & what model is used?
I have had 2 total hips with 1 revision, 2 total knee , 1 partial shoulder with one total shoulder since 1991.. All done at what is now called OrthoCarolina! Awesome Doctors that are up on their research. Never had any problems due to the hardware itself.. Hope that helps!