A Better Way to Perform Hip Scope surgery
February 11, 2019
Dr. Drew Burleson of Beacon Orthopaedics brings a better operating table to the region.
One of the advantages to being a specialty practice is the ability to be agile. This means that when new technology comes along, a specialty practice can test and adopt it first. Such is the case with the Stryker Pivot Guardian table. It is the industry’s first ever traction table designed to improve patient experiences with arthroscopic hip surgery. Sports medicine and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Drew Burleson was instrumental in bringing this new technology to the area.
Arthroscopic hip surgery has traditionally involved a patient’s joint being distracted by using a center post (called a “perineal post”) on an operating table. The upper interior of the leg was stabilized by the padded post, while the hip joint was distracted to create room for the camera and cannula. The surgeon would then perform a hip scope surgery, which typically lasts anywhere from 20-45 minutes.
This old approach sometimes resulted in cases of numbness, sexual dysfunction, bruising, heel slip related problems, and other groin complications. When the opportunity to mitigate these risks was presented to Dr. Burleson and his team at Beacon Orthopaedics, the organization reacted promptly and brought the first table to the region for use in its Ambulatory Surgery Center.
In addition to removing the perineal post, the Pivot Guardian table allows for clearer imaging than many other operating room tables due to its radiolucent carbon fiber construction. The superiority over other hip arthroscopy tables continues: even the boots are designed specifically to improve each patient’s safety and comfort. This reduces complications to the Achilles and other heel slip related problems.
In a recent clinical study of 1,000 orthopaedic hip arthroscopies performed on the Pivot Guardian table, without the use of a perineal post, researchers discovered that the procedure allowed for safe, adequate, reproducible access to the hip joint with zero groin-related soft tissue or nerve complications.1 This is a big step forward for patients, and should result in more peace of mind and better overall outcomes from hip scope surgery. For the time being, patients who want to take advantage of this recent evolution in medical technology have to come to Beacon Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, since they have the only Stryker Pivot Guardian table in the region.
If you are considering an arthroscopic hip surgery, schedule your appointment with Dr. Drew Burleson at Beacon Orthopaedics in South Dayton (Miamisburg) or Cincinnati (Summit Woods). You may also schedule by phone 24/7 at (513) 354-3700.
- Omer Mei-Dan, MD et. al. Hip Distraction Without a Perineal Post. March 2018, The American Journal of Sports Medicine