60,000 orthopaedic procedures in Vanguard units

60,000 orthopaedic procedures

This week, Vanguard has achieved another big number in the procedure count – we have now hosted more than 60,000 orthopaedic procedures inside our mobile operating theatre facilities.

As the UK population enjoys longer and healthier lives, major joint surgery is in high demand. This includes procedures that form part of the planned – or ‘elective’ – care pathway, like hip and knee replacements. In 2016, the UK National Joint Registry recorded 210,364 hip and knee replacements, compared to 156,325 hip and knee replacements recorded in 2011. These types of procedures form a large part of our orthopaedic procedure numbers. They take place in Vanguard facilities across the NHS on the mainland and in Ireland, too.

Trauma care is coming increasingly into the public eye as awareness of the challenges facing the NHS grows. Trauma care, a speciality often closely linked with orthopaedics, also takes place in Vanguard facilities active within the NHS today.

How do Vanguard theatres help?

Orthopaedic operating theatres require adequate space for the large volume of equipment needed to perform joint replacements. Opening the bone also increases the risk of surgical site infection. For that reason, the operating rooms in our mobile theatres have a flexible internal layout to provide the maximum possible space to clinical staff. Vanguard operating theatres that deliver orthopaedic care also have laminar flow ventilation fitted. This type of air system delivers a fast-moving directional air stream from a hood positioned over the operating table, meaning that 600 air changes pass over the patient every hour. In this way, any contaminated particulates rapidly disperse from the at-risk area. This minimises the threat of infection.

The figures listed in our procedure count come only from mobile facilities where members of the Vanguard clinical team work. This means that the total procedure count is higher still. However, Vanguard are pleased to celebrate this milestone and play a part in supporting this necessary and often life-altering service to so many patients.