Through the keyhole: An examination of minimally invasive hip surgery

Minimally invasive hip (MIH) surgery involves the insertion of total hip replacement (THR) prostheses via 1 or 2-incisions each less than 10 cm, compared with a traditional incision of 20-30 cm. The orthopaedic community, lay press and many patients are currently excited by such an approach as it is seen as a way of promoting faster recovery from surgery. However, when compared with traditional incision THR surgery there are as yet a lack of large-scale long-term robust clinical trials on MIH surgery. The impact on orthopaedic nursing of this new surgical approach may be felt along the whole patient pathway including patient education, post-operative recovery and long term follow-up after surgery. The article examines some of the publicity surrounding this new procedure, the different types of MIH surgery, and the possible implications for orthopaedic nursing.