Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Offers New, Muscle-Sparing Hip Replacement Procedure

New Treatment Allows for Improved Comfort, Shorter Stays, Faster Recovery

Alexandria, VA  – (June 4, 2009) — Inova Mount Vernon Hospital is one of the first in the region to offer the anterior approach for hip replacements, reducing pain and length of hospital stay, and enabling patients to return to their active lifestyles more quickly.

Through the use of a specially-designed table for anterior approach hip replacements, surgeons are able to reach the hip joint from the front of the patient instead of the side or back. With a smaller incision and minimal muscle disruption, this type of joint replacement helps the patient heal within a few weeks instead of the traditional two- to four-month recovery.

The table’s unique capability in positioning the leg enables the surgeon to place the hip replacement components through a single, minimally invasive incision, decreasing trauma to muscles and tissue.

“This state-of-the-art table will change how hip replacements are performed,” said William Hamilton, MD, chairman, orthopedics, Inova Mount Vernon Hospital. “Having this new capability will help lessen pain and swelling, and help the patient heal quickly. Patients who have had this procedure can walk the night of their surgery and usually leave the hospital the very next morning.”

Benefits of anterior-approach hip replacement procedures include:

• Less trauma to hip and leg muscles
• Shorter hospital stays
• Smaller incisions
• Quicker recovery
• Less pain

The table provides the patients and orthopedic surgeons with hip replacement options that were once unavailable. This treatment will complement other joint replacement procedures at the hospital and add to the hospital’s ability to offer high-quality, state-of-the-art joint replacement care.

Inova Mount Vernon Hospital is one of a few hospitals in the region to be awarded a Gold Seal of Approval™ for outstanding care in joint replacement by the Joint Commission, the national accrediting organization for hospitals and healthcare facilities.

Inova Health System is a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Northern Virginia that consists of hospitals and other health services, including emergency- and urgent-care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova’s mission is to improve the health of the diverse community it serves through excellence in patient care, education and research. Inova provides a healthy environment for its patients, families, visitors, staff and physicians by prohibiting tobacco use on its campuses.