Hi Ed
Thanks for your thoughts about doctor choice. You are correct in the thought that a person should select a surgeon they trust and the surgeon will select the surgical approach, device and post op protocol that best matches the patient's needs. As normal people that are not medically trained, we have no way of making the technical selections other than the surgeon. We can read all we can, but there is a point that we must trust the surgeon. It is like getting on that big jet plane - we must trust the pilots to keep us safe. No matter how much we know about flying, the plane is not in our hands.
I do talk a lot about trying to choose a surgeon with a lot of experience. That is based on medical studies, doctor discussions and reading thousands and thousands of stories over the last 5 years. The retention rate before 2006 for the BHR overseas was 99.9% according to studies. Then when the US doctors started doing the BHR in 2006, it dropped to 96% So that means that the newer surgeons were having some problems. If a patient wanted to be pretty assured of no problems, it makes sense to use the expeirnced surgeons and be one of the 96 people out of 100 in the US that did not have problems. Unfortunately, the 4 people out of 100 that had problems resulted in serious problems like revisions to THR. So I try to influence people to use the most expeinced surgeons where ever they live.
It does not mean that a person using the less expiernced surgeon will have problems, there are many cases of people using the new surgeons that did not have probelms. I, however, have a huge file of emails from people that did have problems. Misplaced cups are the most common problem. So it is a real problem according to medical studies, national registries and my own expeirnce in talking with people with problems.
So I make suggestions and then tell people there is a time to make a choice. Listen to your gut feeling. It is the best advice you can get after doing your homework and meeting the surgeon or surgeons of your choice. A little prayer never helps either.
As I mentioned, this is such major surgery and you only have 2 hips. Once they are done incorrectly, it is diffiuclt to get them revised proplery so you can be out of pain and be active again. I have emails from people that are on their 2nd and 3rd revisions and still don't have it right. So there are a few horror stories out there, but they are in the very, very minority. Thank Goodness!
So read, learn, talk and then listen to your "little voice inside."
Pat