Preparing for the procedure
Before the surgery, the patient should be examined and the physician should check his vital signs such as blood pressure, random blood sugar. If the patient has any chronic diseases such as chronic heart diseases, or chronic kidney or liver diseases, the surgeon must communicate with the treating physician to make sure that the patient condition is stable, and he is liable to surgery.
The patient medication should be evaluated by his physician to assess which medications should be stopped before the surgery such as aspirin or change the dose such as insulin.
Routine blood tests before the hip arthroplasty surgery include:
- Complete blood picture
- Random blood sugar
- If diabetic, HBA1C should be obtained before the surgery
- Kidney function tests
- Liver function tests
- Urine analysis
- Coagulation profile
Other routine tests include:
- Electrocardiogram
- Echocardiogram
- Pelvi Abdominal ultrasound
Surgeons usually encourage the patients to lose weight before hip arthroplasty surgery for better postoperative outcomes.
Home adjustments and installments are used to pave the home for the post-operative recovery phase. For example:
- Secure safety bars in the bathroom
- Install a handrail in the side of stairs
- Adjustable toilet seat
- Any movable object or carpet that can cause patient to fall should be removed
