International Orthopaedics August 2015, Volume 39, Issue 8, pp 1475–1481

Neither pre-operative education or a minimally invasive procedure have any influence on the recovery time after total hip replacement

Biau, D.J., Porcher, R., Roren, A. et al.
Hip

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate pre-operative education versus no education and mini-invasive surgery versus standard surgery to reach complete independence.

Methods

We conducted a four-arm randomized controlled trial of 209 patients. The primary outcome criterion was the time to reach complete functional independence. Secondary outcomes included the operative time, the estimated total blood loss, the pain level, the dose of morphine, and the time to discharge.

Results

There was no significant effect of either education (HR: 1.1; P = 0.77) or mini-invasive surgery (HR: 1.0; 95 %; P = 0.96) on the time to reach complete independence. The mini-invasive surgery group significantly reduced the total estimated blood loss (P = 0.0035) and decreased the dose of morphine necessary for titration in the recovery (P = 0.035).

Conclusions

Neither pre-operative education nor mini-invasive surgery reduces the time to reach complete functional independence. Mini-invasive surgery significantly reduces blood loss and the need for morphine consumption.


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