If you’ve been struggling with the discomfort and loss of mobility associated with arthritis of the hip and knee, then you may be contemplating a joint replacement procedure. Your choice of orthopaedic surgeon to carry out this surgery is probably the most important decision you will make.
There are four important factors you should take into account when choosing your joint replacement surgeon
1. Experience
How long has your surgeon been practicing? Mr Bridle has been a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon since 1994, specialising in hip and knee replacement and revision surgery. He has set up a hip and knee Multidisciplinary Team to deal with patients with hip and knee problems. In addition, he has been active in NHS management, holding important roles such as Lead for Orthopaedics, Clinical Director for Surgery and Clinical Director for Major Trauma at St George’s Hospital, London.
2. Expertise
How many knee or hip replacements do you perform a year? Choose a surgeon who regularly performs hip or knee replacements and can discuss their results with you. Over the last ten years, Mr Bridle has performed nearly 1000 primary hips and 500 primary knee replacements and specialises exclusively in this form of surgery.
3. Choice of prosthesis
It is very important that the prosthesis we put in lasts a long time, avoiding the need for complex revision surgery. There are a very large number of hip and knee implants available on the market. Hip and knee implants are rated by ODEP, with the long-term results available through the National Joint Registry. Mr Bridle uses only the best-rated implants, with the best long-term survival. More details on this are available on the website.
4. Complication rate
There are a number of rare, but important potential risks and complications associated with joint replacement surgery, including infection and dislocation, and your surgeon should be able to provide you with their rates of incidence. Mr Bridle has a very low complication rate in his own primary replacement procedures and his experience and expertise is such that he is often called upon to treat complex revision procedures. This is dealt with in more detail on the website.
Details of how to arrange a consultation are covered on the website. Alternatively, please call Mr Bridle’s PA Diana on 02089479524 of email her (bridle@fortiusclinic.com) for more information.