Hip surgery could halve waiting times

Changes to hip and knee surgery could halve waiting lists at one hospital within a year, say doctors.

Tweaks to surgeries at the Princess of Wales hospital in Bridgend have allowed more patients to be sent home on the same day. Therefore, a shortage of hospital beds is not a barrier for them.

It comes as over 37,000 orthopaedic patients are waiting over one year for surgery in Wales.

Consultant orthopaedic surgeon Keshav Singhal said a number of "minor tweaks" were made to the procedure "but all of them add up to a huge effect".

He said the anaesthetic and pain medication given to patients is "fine-tuned" to reduce pain and nausea after the operation and extra time is spent pinpointing any potential area of bleeding and cauterising it to "prevent wound leakage".

"In day surgery we are not constrained by beds - there are no beds here," said Mr Singhal.

"Patients can come in, be very well cared for in a state of the art day-surgery unit, and go home in the evening, and that totally cuts down on the inpatient beds."

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Source: BBC News, 10 February 2023