You’ll have a better orthopedic experience because we’re innovators in all we do.
When you are considering orthopedic care, you have many options. Only at Bayhealth will you have the advantage of innovations that are being put into practice to enhance your patient experience and ensure the best possible outcome. From providing speedy care for geriatric hip fractures to offering pediatric orthopedic services closer to home for local families, we’re committed to serving the broad needs of our community. Our three-step process can help you go home sooner and recover faster. It includes testing, medications and therapies initiated before, during and after surgery that are among the newest best practices to minimize infections, reduce the need for transfusions and ensure functional milestones are met.
Our affiliation with Penn Orthopedics also promises you university-level care from a local hospital. Our orthopedic residency program (where medical students from Penn get community hospital experience) gives both the Resident and the physician mentors a way to learn from each other; which benefits every patient in our care.
As the first hospital in Delaware to be part of the American Joint Replacement Registry — a national organization committed to quality improvement — we make it our responsibility to monitor and be aware of any changes in the integrity of the joint replacement you received while we work to advance Orthopedics technology overall. Most of all, our Orthopedic nurse navigator guides you through every step of the process. We want to be sure that your orthopedic journey is a positive one.
Our Process
Step #1 Prior to Surgery
You will attend a preoperative Joint Class where you will:
- Learn about the surgery you will be having and understand all you can do to help yourself.
- Have rapid results testing for for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)—a bacterium responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections—and Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA)—a staph infection that can sometimes be fatal. The result of the screening is known in just 70 minutes, and treatment, if an infection is detected, can ensure that you are healthy going into surgery.
- Participate in an Anemia Clinic if your hemoglobin is less than normal. Hematologists will treat you to help avoid the need for blood transfusion during surgery.
Step #2 During Surgery
Medication will be administered to reduce the risk of infection. These aggressive strategies have benefited our patients when they recover. Intraoperative drugs include:
- Tranexamic Acid
- Antibiotics given during timed intervals during surgery
Step #3 After Surgery
We make sure that you are not only moving well but feeling well when you are discharged. Protocols include:
- Lab monitoring
- Getting you moving, making sure certain functional milestones are met in physical and occupational therapy prior to discharge
- Making you aware of the next steps in your recovery
