Planning

We recommend that you follow the following procedure before your operation:

1. A full and comprehensive Patient Information Consultation with a specialist physician from our Team

• Have I been adequately informed about the condition of my arthritis and the possible methods of treatment for it?
• Have all non-operative methods of treatment been exhausted or are there still alternative methods I could take?

2. Decision-making about the operation in consultation with your attending physicians and your family

• Am I quite certain that I want to go through with the operation?
• Have the members of my family been sufficiently well informed, and will they be able to support me in the time after the operation?

3. Fixing a date for the operation and the admission to hospital

• Is the proposed date for the operation convenient for me, for the people taking care of me, and (if applicable) my employer?
• Is the hospital that has been chosen the right one for me (in terms of services offered, proximity to my family and my home, the type of rehabilitation services offered, etc.)?

4. Starting with supportive measures before the operation

• If you smoke, could you stop smoking or cut down on the number of cigarettes you smoke?
• If you are overweight, could you change your diet to loose weight?
• Have you been informed about possibly making an autologous blood donation?
• Are any infections you may have (such as gum abscesses, bladder infections or open wounds on the leg) receiving treatment?
• Have the illnesses I have been checked by my primary care physician along with the amount of medication I take (e.g. high blood pressure, diabetes)?

5. Planning my stay in hospital

• What chores and duties must be carried out in my absence (taking care of people or pets, plants, post, bills, etc.)?
• How will I get to the hospital on the day of my admission?
• What must I bring with me?
• Which medication should I bring with me or which medication should I possibly stop taking before being admitted?
• Which illnesses and operations have I already had or which am I now being treated for? It is advisable for you to bring a list of your medication and a list of the operations / illnesses you have had with you to the hospital.

6. Planning the time after the operation

• Will I need outside help in the time after my operation or will my family/friends be able to give me enough support?
• Is my home properly equipped to make it easy for me in the time after the operation?
• Should I plan a stay in a rehabilitation clinic or should I take rehabilitation as an out-patient while living at home?