Ground breaking keyhole hip surgery

Consultant surgeon Prasad Antapur (left) and patient david Burford of Brant Broughton.

The minimally invasive surgery has been carried out in Grantham by the innovative surgical team of consultant orthopaedic surgeon, Prasad Antapur.

They are among only a select few in the country able to carry out the specialist SuperPath keyhole procedure.

David Burford, 56, of Brant Broughton, was the first patient to have the procedure at Grantham and District Hospital.

The surgery means patients in need of hip replacements can have both hips replaced at the same time. This results in a significantly quicker recovery and a shorter hospital stay.

Mr Burford said he had always been an active person but had been struggling before he was diagnosed with osteoarthritis: “It got to the point where I was going up the stairs on all fours. Getting in and out of the car was impossible and I couldn’t walk for more than five or 10 minutes. I couldn’t continue that way any more. I was in a pretty bad way.“I was excited that my operation was going to be so unique.”

Mr Burford spent four days in hospital, with his stay complicated by an issue with his blood pressure. However, he was out of bed and on his feet within two days of his surgery. Before being discharged from the hospital, he had managed to walk up stairs and within a week of being home had taken short trips out of the house.

He added: “Within two weeks I was walking outside and I could get up and down the stairs without a stick. I have been able to return to work after four weeks. I have much better mobility than before the surgery and have been focusing on reaching little milestones. As the days go on, I am continuing to improve.”

Mr Antapur came across this technique in America and is one of only four surgeons that can do this in the UK.

He explained traditional hip replacements would leave a patient on restricted activities for three months afterwards, but this procedure means the average length of stay in hospital after surgery is little more than a day and some patients can be driving again within two weeks.

“The ability to give a normal life back is just amazing,” he said.