What do you think

dachshund

On our radio this morning they said about a lady of 112
she had fallen over and broke her hip. she had a hip replacement.
joan xx

barbara12

Blimey Joan that is a good age..bur what a shock for her falling and breaking her hip..bless...but glad to see she has had a new one..age should never be a barrier...I hope she make a really good recovery...who knows what age she will live to..

Slosh

Though pleased for her I did wonder if this was an efficient use of resources given her age and wondered if it was actually done privately. It may sound harsh but at 112yrs of age I wouldn't have thought it worth the cost to a cash strapped NHS or the risks to her.

Kitty

This is the actual report on Ya*** news:

A 112-year-old woman from the Isle of Wight is believed to be the oldest person in the world to have had a hip replacement.
Gladys Hooper, from Ryde, needed emergency surgery after fracturing her hip when she fell at home.
Orthopaedic surgeon Jason Millington said: "She's an amazing lady, to my knowledge she's the oldest person documented to have had this procedure."
Mrs Hooper is recovering at the island's St Mary's Hospital.
Jason Millington and Gladys Hooper
Image caption
Jason Millington, orthopaedic surgeon, said the deciding factor for the operation was Mrs Hooper's health, not her age
The hospital said notwithstanding her age it was right to spend £6,000 on the operation to fit the ceramic hip.
Mr Millington said: "This was emergency surgery, it's not based on age.
"My philosophy is never too old to operate, just too unwell, and in Mrs Hooper's case she was certainly well enough.
"If the benefits of the surgery outweigh the risk then it's a pretty easy decision and you operate.
"She deserves treatment as much as anyone else."
Following the operation Mrs Hooper said she felt "somewhere near 80" in age.
line break
Analysis, by Philippa Roxby, health reporter
This was an emergency operation to replace half of the right hip joint, after the patient's hip was fractured in a fall.
Instead of a total hip replacement, only the ball portion of the hip was replaced - not the socket.
Hip replacements are a common procedure, usually carried out in older people between 60 and 80 because of wear and tear or damage to the hip joint.
Patients over 100 years old are unusual, but their number is increasing because people are living longer.
The risks of undergoing a general anaesthetic at that age can be risky. But there are other options - in this case a spinal anaesthetic was used.
The challenge now for Mrs Hooper is to get back on her feet and use her new hip - a process which can take four to six weeks for even the most mobile patients.

daffy2

There is possibly another way to look at this story, which has implications for arthritis sufferers. By doing the operation the medics are expanding their experience and the knowledge base for geriatric hip surgery, which could have beneficial results for all older people in due course. The Queen Mum did quite well I seem to remember...
Another example - even if one disagrees with surgery to deal with obesity, there is no doubt that surgeons and patients willing to try extreme bariatric surgery have provided information about what can work and what the real problems are. In due course that information could be used for patients needing other surgery whose weight might normally preclude it.
I do have my limits in seeing the positives though. Young people who choose(ie are not true alcoholics) to pickle themselves for years and then expect the NHS to replace their livers so they can 'have a life' I'm afraid I wouldn't put my money in the collecting tin for - but I suspect that view may be coloured somewhat by my son's schoolfriend who was born with biliary atresia and went through that horrific wait for a donor organ. She's alive and doing well, but her life isn't 'normal' and requires considerable discipline and commitment.

mig

If the operation was not carried out what were the alternatives ? I don't have much knowledge of these things but she couldn't have been left to live with a fractured hip,the surgeon said in his opinion she was fit enough so why not I'm sure she would have paid her dues over the years. Mig

barbara12

Slosh wrote:

Though pleased for her I did wonder if this was an efficient use of resources given her age and wondered if it was actually done privately. It may sound harsh but at 112yrs of age I wouldn't have thought it worth the cost to a cash strapped NHS or the risks to her.

.I do see were you are coming from, but were would you draw the ,line 80..90s..like Mig says how could they have left her in such pain..whatever there age they do deserve the very best of treatment..

Slosh

I don't know and wasn't aware initially it was an accident. I woud have thought this would be one for the hospital ethics committee, my late Father was told in his 80's they would not consider replacing his "past their sell by date" 20 year old replacement hips due to his age. I once taught a bright deaf/blind girl, she could use adapted signs, I was teaching her braille, and she accurately identified staff by their hands and rings. She had kidney failure but was refused to be considered for a transplant due to her disability. Sadly she died. It's a hard one, glad I don't have to make these decisions.

frogmorton

I think it's fantastic!

Why should a person who is in good health otherwise be denied an operation which would give her less pain/greater mobility etc just because she is older?

We are an aging population and will see more of this won't we I think?

I rather hope though that 'they' start doing similar surgery on 'younger' people too :roll:

Good discussion Joan thank you

Love

Toni xxx