93-yr-old gets hip replacement

Coimbatore:A 93-year-old Tamil writer, who has written nearly 35 Tamil books, underwent hip replacement surgery in a private hospital in Coimbatore after his left hip broke into four pieces. The writer, Kannayeram, had a fall and suffered a complicated fracture where the hip broke into four pieces. He was admitted to a hospital in the city after he fell unconscious and suffered acute loss of mental faculties due to electrolyte imbalance.

As it was a geriatric case, he had to be rushed to a hospital where assured pre- and post-operative care was available. Dr Alphonse Mariadas, orthopaedic surgeon, told Deccan Chronicle that Mr Kannayeram had also suffered a few other complications that had affected his kidneys.

He was then brought to K.G. hospital where after two-and-a-half-hour surgery, one half of his hip was removed and replaced with a stainless steel component.

Despite the complicated fracture, the patient was able to stand and walk with support on the third day. But for the replacement of the stainless steel component it would have taken a minimum of two months for the elderly author to get back on his feet and walk again. Being bedridden could further lead to complications like bedsores, problems in the respiratory tract and urinary infections, Dr Alphonse Mariadas said.

Moreover as the person ages, the bones may not join. In his case, the socket was intact but the bone had suffered multiple fractures. The metal component was held to the socket using bone cement.