Joint effort makes gains in knee, hip replacements

Margaret Anderson was in constant pain and resigned to the fact her knee replacement surgery wouldn’t take place for months — if she were lucky.

When she learned she could shave months off that wait time, by agreeing to get surgery at the Selkirk Regional Health Centre instead of in Winnipeg, she seized the opportunity.

The Selkirk surgical unit has performed 399 hip and knee replacements since the program was launched in March, the province announced Thursday. Its goal of 800 surgeries in the first year is on target.

“I had a really good experience there,” Anderson, a 71-year-old Winnipeg resident said. “The surgeons there also do the surgeries at Concordia (Hospital) and they are the specialists in their field. Selkirk has an MRI, a CT scan — they have everything there.”

Last year, Shared Health announced $5.7 million would be spent to expand operating space and add staff at the Selkirk facility so 800 additional surgeries could be performed starting in January. Dr. Ed Buchel, Shared Health’s provincial surgery specialty lead, called that number “astronomical,” noting the increase would ensure nearly 7,800 joints per year would be replaced in Manitoba.

However, the surgeries didn’t start until March and by May, just 79 had been completed.

Buchel said Thursday the program between Selkirk and Concordia hospitals is the first of its kind for orthopedic surgery.

“We are taking a major step towards reducing the wait list and helping people access care within recommended timelines. We are already seeing the number of people waiting for surgery going down and the length of time they wait decreasing.”

The province reported in June the median wait time for hip surgery was 29 weeks, while knee surgery was 39 weeks. The Canadian Institute for Health Information’s website shows the national median wait time for hip surgery is 18 weeks, while knee surgery is 22 weeks.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the program is getting results.

“Too many Manitobans have had to wait a year or more for a relatively simple hip or knee replacement, but we are helping the ‘long waiters’ by investing in the Selkirk program,” Asagwara said in a statement. “We’re seeing progress as our wait list drops, but we know we have to keep going.”

The province said the extra surgeries have allowed wait lists to decrease by hundreds of people each month since the beginning of the year.

A provincial website said 5,839 patients were waiting for hip and knee replacement surgeries in June. That’s down from a high of 6,887 in March, but about the same as last summer when the wait list was in the range of 5,819 to 5,962.

Besides Selkirk and Concordia, hip and knee replacement surgeries are performed at Grace Hospital, Boundary Trails Health Centre near Winkler and Morden and the Brandon Regional Health Centre.

A spokesperson for Doctors Manitoba said the number of surgeries being done in Selkirk is a significant step in the right direction.

“The Selkirk program was opened to all Winnipeg surgeons — and those in Boundary Trails willing to make the drive — so it has certainly helped decrease the surgical backlog for those surgeons who participate,” said Dr. Eric Bohm, an orthopedic surgeon at Concordia Hospital, a professor of surgery at the University of Manitoba and the medical adviser for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s orthopedic wait list.

Anderson, who suffered from osteoarthritis in both knees, fell down some stairs two years ago and had issues with her right knee as a result.

She was added to the surgical wait list in January and was prepared to wait at least a year.

During a visit to her surgeon’s office in April, she learned about the Selkirk option when she overheard another patient would make the trip.

“My surgery was May 12, so within a month I had it done,” said Anderson.

She is now five months into her recovery instead of still waiting for surgery.

“(The Selkirk hospital) has a pleasant atmosphere and feel safe… I got there for 11 a.m. and was able to sleep in my own bed that night. The nurses were great and the parking is simple and cheap compared to HSC and St. Boniface.

“I would highly recommend going to Selkirk.”

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca