New Delhi: In a significant joint replacement surgery, Delhi doctors have performed what they describe as India’s first day-care bilateral total hip replacement using smart AI navigation, sending a 40-year-old patient home on the same day after replacing both hip joints in a single operation.The patient from Myanmar had been suffering from avascular necrosis (AVN) of both hips, a condition caused by reduced blood supply to the bone, resulting in progressive deterioration and severe pain. His mobility had deteriorated considerably over the years.The approximately 3.5-hour procedure was performed by a team led by Dr Sujoy Bhattacharjee, chairman and chief of Max Institute of Robotic Joint Replacement. Both hips were replaced using uncemented implants from the meril libertas hip replacement system.According to the hospital, while bilateral total hip replacement surgery costs around Rs 7 lakh, including an imported implant, surgery in daycare costs about 25% less.The patient was mobilised under medical supervision within four hours of being shifted to the recovery room and discharged after meeting the hospital’s clinical and functional recovery criteria.“Smart AI navigation gave us precise implant positioning and alignment, and with careful planning and a structured recovery protocol, we were able to mobilise the patient early and send him home safely the same day. It shows that, in carefully selected patients, same-day discharge is possible even after a bilateral procedure,” said Dr Bhattacharjee.He added that simultaneous replacement of both hips is an established but demanding orthopaedic procedure. However, combining it with a day-care recovery pathway represents a more challenging proposition, as patients ordinarily require post-operative monitoring, pain management and rehabilitation.Navigation-assisted surgery uses computer-guided planning to help surgeons position implants according to a patient’s anatomy, while the surgeon retains control of the procedure. The hospital attributes the early recovery in this case to the combination of navigation technology, preoperative planning and an enhanced recovery protocol.Doctors said that development could expand the possibilities of day-care joint replacement for carefully selected patients, although longer-term follow-up and outcome data will be important in assessing its broader clinical significance.
