Yvonne Walker is the first person to have a total knee replacement as a day surgery case
A patient from East Yorkshire who had a milestone knee operation has praised the care she received from staff. Yvonne Walker is the first person to have a knee arthroplasty (total knee replacement) done as a day case procedure at the Day Surgery Centre (DSC) at Castle Hill Hospital.
She was in and out in under 12 hours, and is now recovering well at home. This follows the successful delivery of this service at the Goole site.
Mrs Walker was chosen as the ideal candidate to have this particular surgery done as a day case, as part of a new way of treating patients in the DSC. The hospital hopes to be able to deliver more operations in this way in the future.
The 68-year-old, who is from Withernsea, said: “I went in at 7am that morning and I came out about 6.45pm. My experience was brilliant, they couldn’t do enough for me. The staff gave me a standing ovation before I left.
“I was waiting to have this done for a few years, they always told me I was too young to have a knee replacement. I kept having injections on my knee and I had keyhole surgery on it to start with.
“That did work for a while but the last two years, it just got worse and worse. The injections were not working.
“My physiotherapist referred to me to hospital. They put me on the waiting list and eventually, they gave me a call and said I could have the procedure done as a day case.
“I have gone from crutches to sticks – I got the sticks just to steady myself a bit. The pain I had before has gone completely.
“I no longer have to sleep with my leg on a pillow. I could not bend my knee before and it’s straight now. Eventually, I should be able to get rid of the sticks.”
Talking about the benefits of her day case, Mrs Walker said: “It was lovely to be home in my own bed. To be able to go into hospital, have surgery and be out the same day is amazing. I would definitely recommend this to anyone else.”
The DSC operates like a mini hospital. Patients can have X-rays, surgery in theatres and be seen by physiotherapists and pharmacists – all in the same place.
Tom Symes, consultant orthopaedic surgeon, performed the operation on Mrs Walker. He said: “Doing this as a day case procedure required a lot of planning and preparation from the team.
“Everything needs to run smoothly on the day in order for it work. For the patient, it’s great for them to be able to go home the same day.
“Patient expectation is the absolute key to getting them home. You need the right painkillers and the right anaesthetic, but also a willingness from the patient to trust the process and have the right things in place at home.
“The risk of hospital-acquired infection is much lower and patients generally recover quicker at home. It can also be incredibly cost-saving too.
“We are planning to do more operations like this in the future. The team were fantastic on the day and the patient is really pleased with the outcome.”