Dr. David Backstein in The Toronto Star: Same Day Knee Replacement
Hospital stays have been getting shorter over time because of advances in surgical techniques and anesthesia. Just a decade ago, knee-replacement surgery would have involved a hospital stay of up to a week.
Same-day joint-replacement surgery was pioneered in the United States where insurance companies were looking to cut health-care costs. But this kind ambulatory surgery is not for everyone, cautioned orthopedic surgeon Dr. David Backstein who operated on Nemez.
“It is a very select patient population we can do this on,” he said, explaining it best performed on active, healthy, fit patients and not on those who are frail, inactive or obese. “There is always going to be a need for in-patient joint replacement.”
