Getting out of bed after two hours instead of ten days, right after hip replacement surgery. The scenario hardly seems believable. However, it is possible with the rapid recovery after surgery (RRAC) method.
Used in Denmark since 1995, this technique allows the patient to quickly regain his autonomy after major surgery. If it is of close interest to health authorities in France, it is because it has many advantages, both for the patient and for the State.
A faster recovery of autonomy
RRAC or early rehabilitation was developed by Danish Dr Henrik Kehlet in 1995 for colonic surgery. The doctor realized that this method was of greater benefit to the patients. It is more associated with the post-operative process because the patient is more active in his recovery. “In an upright position, the patient becomes” actor of his recovery “, explains to AFP Dr. Karem Slim, president of the association GRACE (French speaking group for improved rehabilitation) and surgeon at the Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital.
On the other hand, the patient comes out less stressed, less attacked and “less” immuno-depressed “, continues to AFP the practitioner who has applied the RRAC since 2007.” The patient feels better, recovers faster, and does fewer complications, ”he sums up.
Shorter length of stay
With this early rehabilitation, it is possible to eat six hours before the operation and drink two hours before. The patient is eating normally, and also walking faster. The anesthesia is reduced and infusions and probes are avoided as much as possible.
For the State, the interest of the method is obvious, at a time when it seeks to save money: it shortens the length of hospitalizationby 30% on average, in particular thanks to the reduced risk of perioperative complications. As a result, it weighs less heavily on the budget of hospitals. For example, at the Hospices Civils de Lyon, where certain services use the RRAC, savings of € 200,000 per year have been made.
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