A team of doctors at Fortis Malar Hospital led by Dr. NandKumar Sundaram, Senior Consultant, Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon, Fortis Malar Hospital successfully performed a minimally invasive Proximal Femoral Nail (PFN) procedure on 93-year-old Mr. Aravamudhan who walked on the same day, 6 hours after the procedure.
The patient was brought to the emergency room after an accidental fall with pain over the right hip and inability to walk. On examination, the patient was diagnosed with a right hip fracture. The patient was taken up for surgery on the same day after consultation with the team of doctors including the Cardiologist and the Nephrologist. Expert care was taken for the nonagenarian patient, keeping in mind his co-morbid conditions that included cardiac failure, renal failure, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hypothyroidism. Mr. Aravamudhan responded exceptionally well after the procedure and was on his feet in no time.
Commenting on the procedure, Dr. NandKumar Sundaram said “As Mr. Aravamudhan was an aged patient, we right away took him to surgery after consultation with the team of doctors as a delay in 2 to 3 days could cause them distress and loss of will power. It is very important that the patient stays positive and believes in the procedure as it is one of the key factors in the overall process. It usually takes more than2 days for someone to walk after such an operation but despite his age, Mr. Aravamudhan was able to walk on the same day. Operating on elderly patients requires skill and precision as it is imperative to ensure that physical activity is not curtailed at their age. Aware of the patient’s medical history, the 35 minute surgery involved skilful anaesthetic expertise as well.”
Happy with the quick recovery, Mr. Aravamudhan expressed “I was unable to walk and my hip hurt. I was also very nervous about the operation and read a lot about hip operations and was expecting a long recovery but I couldn’t believe that I could walk on the same day post the procedure. It’s really fantastic.”
