Hip Replacement Surgery at Wellton Hospital

Hip Replacement Surgery at Wellton Hospital is quite different from the others for the following reasons.


(1) Minimally Invasive Surgery.

(2) Muscle & Tendon Sparing technique

(3) Early Ambulation

(4) Team of Professionals
   Radiology department has developed a proper radiographic reading method to diagnose and treat the disease.
   RNs at Wards has developed a patient management protocols for the patients during pre and post-op.

Farewell Dr. Allan Brabante

On July 22, 2014, Dr. Allan Brabante, graduated from Philippine Orthopedic Center, Quezon City, Philippines finished his last day at Wellton Hospital, Korean Orthopedic Specialty Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

Dr. Brabante was a Orthopedic fellow came to Wellton Hospital as a part of Wellton International Fellowship Program (WIFP) in Januray, 2014.  He spent last six months in Korea and participated in various meetings and conferences with other surgeons and observed Orthopedic cases, outpatient consultation, daily rounds and rehabilitation programs at Wellton Hospital.  He was impressed with the most advanced surgical techniques and rehabilitation program for hip replacement & knee replacement.

Dr. Brabante is also one of the co-authors of the paper regarding Early Dislocation Rate in Complete Short-External-Rotator tendon preservation posterolateral approach Total Hip Arthroplasty.   This paper is currently submitted to the Journal of Arthroplasty.

We sincerely hope Dr. Brabante can start Wellton's Minimally Invasive Total Hip Replacement with muscle & tendon sparing technique in his practice soon.

Wellton Hospital, Korean orthopedic specialty hospital, mainly focuses on treatments of hip, knee and shoulder.  Last year, Wellton Hospital was ranked as national top 3 hospitals for most hip replacement surgery done in 2013.  Wellton Hospital proves their clinical excellence through outstanding results and advanced technology. 

Welcoming new surgeons from Philippines and Nepal

On July 21, two international orthopedic surgeons joined Wellton Hospital, Korean Orthopedic Specialty Hospital in Seoul, Korea.

Dr. Mark Besa

Dr. Suman Shrestha

Dr. Mark Besa graduated from Philippine Orthopedic Center, Quezon City, Philippines.

Dr. Besa will be with Wellton Hospital for the next six months as an international clinical fellow.  Philippine Orthopedic Center is a national orthopedic hospital in Philippines and has a good relationship with Wellton Hospital as clinical partners.

Dr. Besa will observe Orthopedic cases, outpatient consultations, daily rounds, and participate in weekly and monthly meetings and conferences to further enhance his knowledge.

Dr. Suman Shretha is an orthopedic surgeon from Nepal, and is now doing his fellowship program at Hallym University Sacred Heart Medical Center in Chun-cheon City.  He also attended at the first Wellton Live Surgery Workshop on minimally invasive Total Hip Arthroplasty held on July 3, 2014 at Wellton Hospital and witnessed the novel technique of Hip replacement with muscle & tendon sparing approach.  After attending the workshop, he decided to spend more time to learn about the technique.

Surgery in Summer

Surgery in summer 

* this article was originally published at www.koreatimes.co.kr

By Song Sang-ho

During the rainy season, which this year begins earlier than usual, those with arthritis suffer from particularly painful knees. When it rains, the atmospheric pressure decreases and humidity increases by around 30 to 80 percent. Because the knee joint is sensitive to temperature and humidity, it expands, which causes pain.

Around this time of the year, many patients ask me “Is it okay to get knee replacement surgery in summer?” Because of the knee joint’s sensitivity, they think the surgical site won’t heal well and will get infected. In truth, however, there is no correlation between the surgery and the season.

Nowadays, a good surgical prognosis can be expected regardless of the timing of the surgery thanks to advances in surgery and surgical systems. According to research by Johns Hopkins University in the United States, the rate of infection after surgery is highest in the winter (January) and lowest in the summer (July and August).

One of the most important advances in surgery is the mini-incision. For patients in late-stage degenerative arthritis, which is especially painful during the rainy season, the mini-incision enables fast recovery and reduces the risk of infection and complications. In this procedure, the incision is reduced from the usual 20 centimeters to between eight to 10 centimeters. The smaller incision size minimizes potential damage to the muscle and tendon around the joint and risk of bacterial infection.

Patients can walk four hours after the surgery; they can freely go to toilet or sit on a wheelchair or a chair. This reduces the risk of complications. In the past, patients who have undergone hip joint replacement surgery have limited mobility for more than six weeks in order to prevent dislocation. However, this lack of mobility increases the risk of infection such as bedsores.

The mini-incision for hip joint surgery to preserve the external rotator involves a high level of difficulty because the smaller incision minimizes visibility. Therefore, patients should check a specialist’s experience and proficiency fully rather than worry about seasonal factors when planning to have knee surgery. In addition, they should check the hospital’s environment, such as whether it has a sterile operating room, which minimizes the risk of infection by filtering out the dirt or germs in the air through an air purification system.

Finally, patients should also check information about antibiotic use evaluation. The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service provides such information on its website. Antibiotic use evaluation is conducted among patients to prevent surgical site infection and monitor potential abuse of antibiotics, which increases bacteria’s resistance to antibiotics.

Patients shouldn’t put off knee surgery because of incorrect information or lack of understanding. A painful joint isn’t healthy and affects one’s daily life. Some patients who have put off surgery become depressed because they are limited in what they can do. Patients should remember that when it comes to knee surgery, the season doesn’t matter and that improving one’s health is not something they should wait for.

Sang Ho Song, MD, PhD

The writer is the president of the Wellton Bone and Joint Hospital

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/culture/2013/07/319_139137.html

Wellton Hospital is an orthopedic Specialty Hospital in Seoul, Korea.

Wellton Hospital is well-known for its clinical excellency in hip replacement and knee replacement surgery.  Dr. Sang Ho Song is an orthopedic surgeon / consultant who has developed Minimally Invasive Total Hip Arthroplsaty with muscle & tendon sparing technique.

His study on over 1,000 cases of Hip replacement surgery is planned to be published at the Journal of Arthroplasty this fall, 2014.  

Is your body ready for summer? [Korea Times]

Original Article can be found at http://koreatimes.kr/www/news/culture/2014/07/319_160417.html

IS YOUR BODY READY FOR SUMMER?

The French word "vacance" is directly from the Latin root "vacatio," meaning "freedom." As the definition of the word explains, it is the only time of the year that everyone can get away from busy daily life and enjoy their freedom. In Korea, what most people do before summer is body shaping. The biggest problem with this condensed and intense workout is that it can hurt us. An increasing number of men are interested in making their bodies fit in time for the summer. Losing weight, building up muscles and body contouring are the main focuses, but the importance of keeping the inner-body healthy is often neglected. Severe weight loss and diets can ruin your joints. The most common way to lose weight is through a diet meal plan. It sounds fantastic to boost up the effectiveness of a workout by limiting the amount of calories we consume every day. However, having unconditional fasting or pino-therapy is quite risky for your joints. What we get most often from sudden change of diet is osteoporosis due to lack of calcium in bones. Our body tries to forcibly utilize the calcium stored in the bones when the calcium level in the body is extremely low. This leads to a decrease in bone-mineral density, and eventually our bones will become porous and fragile. Bone-mineral density, directly related to osteoporosis, reaches its peak during our 20s and 30s, and gradually decreases afterwards. That is to say, it is important to keep the bone-mineral density as high as possible while we are young to prevent osteoporosis in the first place. Especially for women, it is highly advised since the bone-mineral density level will drop sharply. Moreover, it is extremely difficult to restore bone-mineral density after loss. Therefore, it is important to avoid any unwanted bone-mineral density loss due to intense weight loss.It is recommended to eat healthy and do cardio exercises instead of fasting or pino-therapy for weight loss. In the case of men, it is advised to avoid excessive heavy lifting or workouts to build up muscles. Intensive workouts in a short period of time will harm your shoulders and knees. Running for too long or too fast on a treadmill will have constant impact on the knees, and this may cause injuries like anterior cruciate ligament rupture or a meniscus tear. What's more, it can develop into osteoarthritis. Besides, most of upper-body exercises have to do with the shoulders; in this case, the shoulder joint can be hurt due to either an unstable position or excessive strain during exercise. Most common lifting injuries are rotator cuff tears and torn labrums. When the shoulder is injured, there is pain in the shoulder and arms. In addition to pain in the injured area, mobility is also limited. In a mild case, physical therapy or medication will help, but surgical treatment is recommended for severe cases. Obesity is also not good for your joints. Healthy diet and regular exercise are always great, but be careful not to rush. Rushing into weight loss can harm your joints and ruin your physical fitness, especially in summer. Growing old and staying healthy is as important as looking gorgeous while young. To stay good and healthy as we get older, we should try to keep ourselves healthy in our 20s and 30s. Don't be fooled by young and beautiful celebrities on TV. I would hope all of us keep in mind staying healthy for old age should start now. The writer is the president of the Wellton Bone & Joint Hospital. Wellton Hospital is an Orthopedic Specialty Hospital located in Seoul, Korea.   Wellton Hospital focus on patient-centered care, and major interests are Hip&Knee Replacement and Arthroscopic procedures. Wellton Hospital has been ranked as National Top 3 hospitals for the most Total Hip Arthroplasty done in the year 2013.

Wellton Live Surgery Workshop

On July 3, 2014, there was the 1st Wellton Live Surgery Workshop on Minimally Invasive Total Hip Arthroplasty at Wellton Hospital, Seoul, Korea.  There were five orthopedic surgeons from different countries - Philippines, India, Nepal and Korea.

Program began with a set of lecture, slides and video presentation of technique by Dr. Allan Brabante, a clinical fellow / orthopedic surgeon at Wellton Hospital.   Participants also had a chance to do hands-on sawbone workshop at this event.

This workshop was designed to share our clinical experience with many other orthopedic surgeons.   Wellton Hospital is well-known for its clinical excellence in minimally invasive total hip arthroplasty with muscle & tendon sparing technique.

Participants had a hospital tour and visited various facilities of the hospital. 

The picture above is physical therapy specialist giving talks about rehabilitation protocols of hip patient.  At Wellton, the same-day ambulation is a big part of the rehabilitation program.

They also visited Radiology department.

There were four hip cases scheduled on July 3, and two cases were carefully selected for the live surgery demonstration - one Total Hip Replacement and one Hemiarthroplasty (Bi-polar).  Participants actually had chance to observe how we have modified the conventional technique to improve the surgical outcome.

During breaks, they had discussion on the cases and technique itself.

It was a great experience for everyone who attended this workshop, and they all were satisfied.  Wellton Hospital plans to continue with this live surgery workshop periodically.
The schedule for the next workshop will be announced in late July.

Patient Interview after Knee Replacement [Wellton Hospital, Russia]

Russian patient came to Wellton Hospital (Seoul, Korea), and had a knee replacement.  She talks about things she was not able to do before surgery and how she feels after the surgery.

At Wellton Hospital, we combine the minimally invasive Total Knee Replacement (TKR) with their signature rehabilitation program that enables an early ambulation only four hours after surgery.



Patient is highly satisfied with the result.



For more information, please email global@wellton.co.kr or call +82-2-6925-6688.

Hip Replacement Rehabilitation (Chinese patient)

This is a video of Chinese patient who had a hip replacement at Wellton Hospital (Seoul, Korea).

From the clip, you can see this patient had trouble walking by himself before the surgery.  He could not walk properly.

And you will see how his walk changes and how good he feels after surgery.



For more information, please call +82-2-6925-6688 or email global@wellton.co.kr

Wellton Hospital was one of the National Top 3 hospitals for the most Hip Replacement Surgery in South Korea in the year 2013.  Minimally Invasive Total Hip Arthroplasty and Customized In-house Rehabilitation Program are two of the main features of Wellton Hospital.  

Wellton Hospital focuses on patient-centered care.

Gait Exercise after Hip Replacement, Russian patient

(Please note that this video is in Russian)



This patient from Russia has chosen Wellton Hospital (Seoul, Korea) to have her Hip Replacement Surgery.

She talks about how much pain she felt before the surgery, and how the level of pain changes after the surgery during her hospital stay.

She is very much satisfied with the result and wishes to do things that she was not able before the surgery.


About the video clip,
She is a 55-year-old Russian patient who had total hip replacement (or total hip arthroplasty) at Wellton Hospital.
This video demonstrates her gait (or walking) of before and after surgery.
You can see how one leg is short and she limps before the hip replacement.

Patient Experience (Knee Surgery)

A patient from Sakhalin has shared her experience at Wellton Hospital.

She had an arthroscopic surgery in May, 2014 and is now fully recovered.

(language: Russian, English subtitles will be added later)

She volunteered to join us at the information session to give her speech.
We were so glad to have her at the event.

Arthroscopic procedure & joint diseases

Arthroscopic Surgery / Wellton Hospital Korea

Arthroscopy is

(1)Achieves a high level of accuracy in diagnosis through high definition digital endoscope.

(2)A perfect alternative to conventional open surgical techniques, and causes considerably less tissue damage.

Arthroscopy

The arthroscope is a fiber-optic telescope, which is inserted into the joints (knee, shoulder or ankle) to evaluate and treat the conditions.  Most arthroscopic surgery is performed as day surgery with epidural  anesthesia.  The Arthroscopy is commonly performed for many sports injuries. 

Arthroscopy is useful for

 (1) torn floating cartilage (meniscus)

 (2) Torn surface (articular) cartilage

 (3) Removal of loose bodies and cysts.

 (4) Reconstruction of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)

 (5) Patello-femoral (knee cap) disorders

 (6) Washout of infected knees

 (7) General diagnostic purposes

Diagnosis

Standing weight-bearing view X-ray of the knee is usually required.

MRI scan is needed if the diagnosis is unclear.

Meniscal Cartilage Tears:

Following a twisting type of injury the medial (or lateral) meniscus can tear. This results either from a sporting injury or may occur from a simple twisting injury when getting out of a chair or standing from a squatting position. Our cartilages become a little brittle as we get older and therefore can tear a little easier. The symptoms of a torn cartilage include

•Pain over the torn area i.e. inner or outer side of the knee

•Knee swelling

•Reduced motion

•Locking if the cartilage gets caught between the femur a tibia

CARTILAGE TEARS

Once a meniscal cartilage has torn it will not heal unless it is a very small tear that is near the capsule of the joint. Once the cartilage has torn it predisposes the knee to develop osteoarthritis (wear and tear) in 15 to 20 years. It is better to remove torn pieces from the knee if the knee is symptomatic.

Torn cartilages in general continue to cause symptoms of discomfort, pain and swelling until the loose, ragged pieces are removed. Only the torn section is removed and the knee should recover and become symptom free. If the entire meniscus is removed, the knee will develop osteoarthritis in 15 to 20 years. It is standard to remove only the torn section of cartilage in the hope that this will delay the onset of long-term wear and tear osteoarthritis.

Occasionally, provided the knee is stable and the tear is a certain type of tear in a young patient (peripheral bucket handle tear), the meniscus may be suitable for repair. If repaired, one has to avoid sports for a minimum of three months.

Articular Cartilage (Surface) Injury:

If the surface cartilage is torn, this is most significant as a major shock-absorbing function is compromised. Large pieces of articular cartilage can float in the knee (sometimes with bone attached) and this causes locking of the joint and can cause further deterioration due to the loose bodies floating around the knee causing further wear and tear. Most surface cartilage wear will ultimately lead to osteoarthritis. Mechanical symptoms of pain and swelling due to cartilage peeling off can be helped with arthroscopic surgery. The surgery smoothes the edges of the surface cartilage and removes loose bodies.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries:

Rupture of the Anterior (rarely the posterior) Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is a common sporting injury. Once ruptured the ACL does not heal and usually causes knee instability and the inability to return to normal sporting activities. An ACL reconstruction is required and a new ligament is fashioned to replace the ruptured ligament. This procedure is performed using the arthroscope.

Bakers Cysts:

Bakers cysts or popliteal cysts are often found on clinical examination and ultrasound / MRI scan. The cyst is a fluid filled cavity behind the knee and in adults arises from a torn meniscus or worn articular cartilage in the knee. These cysts usually do not require removal as treating the cause (torn knee cartilage) will in most cases reduce the size of the cyst. Occasionally the cysts rupture and can cause calf pain. The cysts are not dangerous and do not require treatment if the knee is asymptomatic.

Medical Tourism Information Session in Sakhalin, Russia

On June 20, 2014, At Mega Palace Hotel, Sakhalin, Russia, Wellton Hospital joined the Medical Tourism Information Session in Sakhalin, Russia  held by Gangseo-gu.  Wellton Hospital and six other hospitals gave presentations on their unique strength and experience in serving international patients.  

Hospitals at Medical Tourism Information Session In Sakhalin, Russia

Wellton Hospital focuses mostly on Joint diseases.
And Wellton Hospital is well-known for hip replacement and knee replacement surgery.

Patient from Sakhalin

Wellton Hospital in Sakhalin

Wellton hospital will go to Sakhalin to meet old & new patients in Russia from June 20~22, 2014.

On June 20, we will give a short presentation at Mega Palace Hotel with six other hospitals from Gang-seo gu area.

Old patients from Wellton Hospital will join us for follow-up check-up session on Saturday, June 21 2014 in Sakhalin, Russia.  They all had treatment done for all different parts of your body namely, hip, shoulder, knee, foot and ankle, etc.

Some of the patients will also bring their friends or family, who have knee or hip pain.

We want to see how well all of you are doing after surgery.

See you all there in Sakhalin!!

International Training Center for Arthroplasty

Wellton Hospital offers world-class hip & knee replacement recognized by Johnson & Johnson and Stryker, the worldly renowned medical device manufacturers for artificial joints.

Many orthopedic surgeons from all over the world choose Wellton Hospital for advanced training in joint replacement.

Wellton Hospital at Medical Korea 2014

Medical Korea 2014 Conference, May 28-30

Medical Korea 2014 Conference was held from May 28-30, 2014 at KINTEX, Ilsan, Korea.

Medical Korea 2014 Conference, KHIDI / KIMA exhibition booth

Short-External-Rotator Sparing Technique / Wellton Hospital

International Arthroplasty Training Center / Wellton Hospital

           Wellton Hospital exhibited at Medical Korea 2014.
           Wellton Hospital is an orthopedic hospital, well-known for its clinical excellence in hip & knee replacement.

Visitors / Wellton Hospital

Visitors / Wellton Hospital

Visitors / Wellton Hospital

Medical Korea 2014 Conference was held at KINTEX, Ilsan, Korea from May 28-30, 2014. About 470 companies and institutions in Bio & Healthcare industry exhibited in this event, and over 20,000 visitors came by.   Wellton Hospital also participated in the exhibition as one of the leading medical service providers in Korea.   Wellton Hospital have four orthopedic specialty centers that specialize in various areas of orthopedic injuries & treatments; joint replacement, arthroscopic surgery, shoulder pain and sports injuries.
Wellton Hospital also ranked as National Top 3 in most hip replacement done in 2013, and has performed over 10,000 cases of joint replacement surgery.

Wellton Live Surgery Workshop 2014

Wellton Live Surgery Workshop 2014

Wellton Hospital is organizing annual live surgery workshop on minimally invasive Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) on June 12, 2014.

At the workshop, Dr. Sang-ho Song will give a live demonstration of his innovative minimally invasive surgical approach on Total Hip Arthroplasty.   

Over 1,000 cases of his clinical experience with Short External Rotator (SER) preserving Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) technique has shown outstanding improvements in early hip stability and postoperative hip dislocation. 

Dr. Sang-ho Song would like to share his experience with his fellow surgeons. 

Please join us for our very 1st Wellton Live Surgery Workshop 2014.

Dr. Sang-ho Song (Wellton Hospital, Korea)

For more information, please email at global@wellton.co.kr

Inpatient process flow at Wellton Hospital

  Patient Inquiry - patient sends an inquiry with details

  Medical Data Collection - With initial inquiry, medical data such as X-ray or MRI required for more accurate diagnosis

  Treatment Plan & Cost Estimation - Upon receipt of all necessary information, appropriate treatment option, hospitalization period and cost estimation are determined

  Reply - Official consultation letter will be sent

  Decision Making - Patient makes a decision

  Set-up admission date - Flight is booked, and patient notifies the schedule to Wellton Hospital

  Arrival - Upon request, pick-up will be arranged

  Admission - Wellton staff will greet you and walk you through the entire admission process

  Pre-OP exam / Consultation - Run necessary lab test and get X-ray done / Doctor's consultation

  Surgery - same-day or next-day surgery

  Hospital Stay / Rehabilitation - normally 14 days, depending on a surgery / Rehabilitation and PT will start from Day 3

  Discharge - Necessary documents, prescribed drugs and patient education

  Follow-up - check after 1 month, 3 months and 6 months. / at 6 month, follow-up x-ray will be asked.

Have you seen our Wellton Hospital infographic?

Sharing a Wellton Hospital infographic in 2014.

Wellton Hospital made the National Top3 for Hip Replacement Surgery

Copyright (c) Wellton Hospital, 2013

We proudly announce that WELLTON HOSPITAL has officially made the National Top 3 hospitals for the most Hip Replacement Surgery done in 2013.  

<News excerpt from Dong-A Daily>

Local Hospitals doing more surgery than the Big 5.

Recently there has been a tendency in patients choosing local hospitals for a number of surgeries over major medical centers in Seoul.

Top 10 for the Total Hip Replacement done in 2013

№	Location	Name of Institution	# of cases (THR)	# of patients (THR)
1	Chonnam Prov.	Hawsoon Chonnam Univ. Medical Center	493	430
2	Seoul	Samsung Medical Center	471	420
3	Seoul	WELLTON HOSPITAL	319	259
4	Kyung-gi Prov.	Bundang Seoul National Univ. Medical Center	233	203
5	Seoul	Asan Medical Center	216	207
6	Seoul	Kyunghee Univ. Medical Center	216	190
7	Chonnam Prov.	Yeosu Aeyang Hospital	198	175
8	Seoul	Seoul National Univ. Medical Center	185	168
9	Seoul	Gang-dong Kyunghee Univ. Medical Center	173	146
10	Seoul	Catholic Univ. Seoul St. Mary's Medical Center	172	153

According to the Performance Reporting in 2013 by HIRA (Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service), there were two local hospitals ranked as top 10 for the total hip replacement in 2013.  This is a remarkable result because both hospitals ranked even higher than two of the Big 5 Medical Centers, Seoul National University Medical Center and Seoul St. Mary’s Medical Center.

Congresswoman Nam-Yoon, a member of Health and Welfare Committee of National Assembly said, she has seen a possibility to resolve the Bandwagon effect in major medical centers in Seoul, and government should put continuous effort to balance and distribute patients more fairly among medical service providers.

There are three advantages of local hospitals, cost, technology and distance.

Many experts say, these local hospitals have absolute advantages over the big named medical centers.  Local hospitals can cost you 30~60% less than medical centers, and are equally or more advanced in technology; moreover they are located in the neighborhood, so that people do not need to travel far to get treatments.

For this, government plan aims to resolve herd behaviors in medical centers and help local hospitals to be more competent.  By doing so, government expect to reduce the overall cost of medical service but keep the quality high.