NEW DELHI: A 106-year-old woman, Shanti Devi, underwent successful hip replacement surgery at a city private hospital recently. Devi, a resident of Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, suffered a fracture of the hip joint, following which she was rushed to Dharmshila Narayana Hospital on March 12, a doctor said.
“Without the surgery, she would have been bedridden. Most patients in her age can’t survive for a long time if their mobility is affected. That’s why we had to take up the surgery,” said, Dr Monu Singh, senior consultant in orthopaedics at the hospital.
“The surgery, which was conducted on March 15, was regular one, but we had to do it fast and with utmost care due to her age. We couldn’t afford much blood loss either,” Dr Singh said.
Due to weakening of the bone with advancing age, the hip joint breaks with even trivial injury or force. These patients are then rendered immobile and confined to bed, which in turn increases the risk of lung infection, urinary tract infection, clotting in leg veins. Many a times, it even results in loss of life, the doctor explained.
The surgery, he said, involved replacement of the hip with an artificial joint, so that they could be made to stand and able to move independently. “The patient is doing fine now. She is able to stand on her own,” said another doctor. With advancement in medical facilities and better lifestyle, longevity has improved. And, surgery among the centenarians, which was once considered avoidable, has picked up, said the doctor.
“My mother is old but is full of life. When she fractured her hip, we wanted to explore all possible options to get her operated. We weren’t bothered about her frailty or if the procedure was necessary at her age,” said Ritu Singh, Devi’s daughter.