Hip Replacement surgery: cost, duration and step-by-step

Hip replacement surgery, also known as Total Hip Arthroplasty, is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures. It has a high success rate in relieving the symptoms caused by osteoarthritis of the hip.

The operation is usually performed on patients who, in most cases, have reached the most advanced stage of osteoarthritis. The most common symptoms are severe pain that affects the quality of sleep, and even makes it impossible to move the joint.

Hip replacement surgery is therefore the best option for relieving pain, restoring joint mobility and quality of life.

In this article we will give you answers to the most frequently asked questions in medical consultations, such as the step-by-step procedure for arthroplasty and the time it takes to perform it. Both questions have to do with health aspects, the state of the hip problem, etc… that we will detail below.

In addition, we will break down one by one all the elements and services included in the price of hip surgery, being another of the most frequently asked questions.

The length of your hip surgery, i.e. the time you will spend in the operating room, may vary depending on factors such as the type of surgery performed (primary or revision) or the state of your health.

The duration of hip replacement is 1 - 2 hours, depending on several factors.

Although it is not possible to determine the exact time it takes to implant a hip prosthesis, it is important to bear in mind that there are factors that influence whether it takes longer or shorter.

Therefore, in addition to the patient’s bone condition, aspects such as the following will influence the surgical time for a hip replacement:

• Physical condition of the patient: in addition to weight, height and bone quality, associated pathologies or the type of prosthesis to be implanted will influence the need for a longer or shorter surgical time.
• Surgeon's experience: although this is the least important variable in the duration of hip surgery, it is true that some specialists are capable of performing the operation in less time than others.

However, this last point is not associated with a better outcome of the operation, as the skill is the same in any self-respecting Trauma and Orthopedic Specialist.

• Stage of osteoarthritis: the degree to which this degenerative disease has affected the tissue of the hip bones has a lot to do with the time it will take in the operating room to perform the hip replacement. Whether the osteoarthritis is severe or advanced will require a longer or shorter time to replace the joint with a prosthesis.

The price of total hip arthroplasty starts from 10.990 €. Operarme is specialised in the management of surgical services, thus we include, in each of our surgeries, everything necessary for the process to be as safe and comfortable as possible.

We offer a single, fixed price with all-inclusive (in some partner hospitals, the price can go up to 11.500€ due to higher hospital costs).

In order for you to understand why we offer this price for Hip replacement, it is important for you to know all the necessary elements required to perform the intervention:

• Immediate, free surgical assessment consultation
• Booking and use of operating room
• Single room with a spare bed for your companion, with meals and hospitality included (only for the patient)
• Pre-operative study
• Post-operative visits with the surgeon
• Medical fees (including anaesthesiologist and nursing team)
• Surgical material and instruments
• Hip prosthesis of the highest quality standards
• Anaesthesia
• Haemotherapy-transfusions
• Free transfer service, both on the day of admission and on the day of discharge from the hospital
• Medical complications insurance 

Our Medical Complications Insurance covers all eventualities that may arise during surgery and up to 30 days after hip arthroplasty.

Among the complications that may arise, the insurance will cover aspects such as the need to increase hospitalisation days, a readmission after discharge and even re-operation (up to the determined amount).

If you need more information, please feel free to contact our Patient Service team here

After performing the preoperative study and checking that your state of health is suitable for the surgery, the Specialist will make an appointment for the day of the intervention, which will be carried out as follows:

• Once in the operating room, you will meet the entire medical team that has been studying your case: the surgeon with whom you had your first consultation and will perform the surgery, the anaesthesiologist, the medical team...
• The anaesthetist will be the first to act, putting the patient under general anaesthesia, so that you will fall asleep and not feel anything during the operation.
• Once anaesthesia has taken effect, the specialist will disinfect the area where the incision will be made: approximately 20 centimetres long.
• The bone is then prepared to implant the prosthesis. The specialist cuts the neck and the femoral head of the bone, in order to make a hole to insert the prosthesis stem.
• The next step will be to ream the pelvic acetabulum to insert the cup, which will allow the joint to move properly.
• Normally, a temporary prosthesis will be fitted to confirm that the size of the components is correct. After verifying this, the definitive components (stem, cup, femoral head and insert) will be fixed, either with bone cement or by means of cementless fixation.
• Finally, the medical team will check that the ligaments and tendons have not been damaged, and place a drain to remove any fluid that may remain inside.
• The last step will be to suture the incision, layer by layer, to allow the wound to heal as well as possible.

Once the surgery is over, you will need to stay in hospital for 4 to 5 days, until you have recovered from the intervention, you don’t feel any pain and you are able to get out of bed to walk (with crutches).

However, walking and light activity are important for recovery, so the medical recommendation is to start as soon as possible. Therefore, you should start walking the same day or the day after the surgery, an action that will have a very positive influence on the recovery of muscle tone and the adhesion of the prosthesis.

If you are planning on having hip surgery to treat your hip problems, we remind you that through Operarme you can request a first surgical assessment appointment with one of our Traumatology Specialists, by clicking below:

If you have any questions about the management of Operarme surgical services, our Patient Service team will contact you to answer all your questions and guide you on what could be the solution to your medical problem. Click below and request more information:

• OrthoInfo - American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. (2012, octubre). Reemplazo total de cadera (Total Hip Replacement) - OrthoInfo - AAOS. https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/. https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/es/treatment/reemplazo-total-de-cadera-total-hip-replacement/