Joint replacement surgery
Joint replacement surgery helps relieve severe joint pain and improves movement when other treatments don’t work. They can help you feel better and move more easily. The most common types of joint replacement surgeries are:
- Hip replacement: Total or partial hip replacements.
- Knee replacement: Total or partial knee replacements, or kneecap replacement.
These surgeries all require an anaesthetic to help keep you comfortable during your surgery.
Anaesthesia is very safe. It allows a patient to be comfortable during their surgery. Anaesthetists are specialist doctors who are highly trained to deliver anaesthesia and help look after you before, during, and after your surgery.
This information is meant as a general guide only. It does not replace individual medical advice given by your healthcare providers. You should always ask your healthcare team If there is anything you’re unsure about.
Before your surgery
Before your surgery, your anaesthetist will need to know about your health and medical history. This may involve seeing them in person or via a phone call. On occasion, you may also need tests or visits to other doctors to make sure you’re in good health for surgery. These extra checks might delay your surgery but are important for your safety and the best possible outcome from your surgery.
Medications
You can continue taking most of your regular medications before your surgery. However, some medications, like blood thinners or those for diabetes, need special instructions. Someone from your healthcare team will tell you what to do with these medications before your surgery. If you’re unsure, don’t hesitate to ask them.
Do not stop taking any medication unless your doctor has told you to.
Preparing for your surgery
Before your surgery, you will need to fast (stop eating food or drink). This is usually:
- No food for 6 hours before your surgery
- You can keep having small amounts of clear liquids until you come in to the hospital for surgery.
Your hospital or anaesthetist will give you advice on when you need to stop eating and drinking before your surgery.
During your surgery
There are different types of anaesthesia (medicine to make you feel comfortable and help manage your pain) that can be used for hip and knee replacements. You may receive one or a combination of these:
- Local anaesthetic: A numbing medicine that is injected near the surgery site. You might also have a general anaesthetic for your surgery, or a regional anaesthetic to help with managing your pain after surgery.
- Regional anaesthetic: Medicine is injected around the nerves or spinal cord to numb the area. You’ll be awake, but you won’t feel pain. You may still feel some other sensations like pressure or tugging. A common type of regional anaesthesia is called a ’spinal block’.
- Sedation: This medicine makes you feel relaxed and drowsy. You might still be awake during part of the surgery, and you may remember some things, like conversations. Sedation is sometimes combined with regional or spinal anaesthetics.
- General Anaesthetic: This makes you safely unconscious for your surgery. The anaesthetist will put a small tube into your vein (IV) and give you medication through it. You will breathe oxygen through a mask, and the anaesthetist will give you medication to keep you unconscious and safe during surgery. A tube may be placed in your throat to help you breathe. You won’t feel anything, and when you wake up, you may feel drowsy. Your anaesthetist will stay with you during your whole surgery to make sure you are safe and comfortable.
Extra monitoring during surgery
Sometimes you might need extra monitoring to make sure you stay safe during your surgery. This could include:
- Arterial line: A small tube placed into an artery (blood vessels) to monitor your blood pressure and check your blood for important things like electrolytes (which help your body work properly).
- Central line: A tube inserted into a large vein, usually in your neck, chest, or groin. This helps the doctors monitor your condition closely.
- Urinary Catheter: A small tube placed into your bladder to collect and drain urine.
If any of these are needed your anaesthetist or healthcare team will discuss it with you first. Sometimes these extra lines will be put in after your anaesthetic is working or they may be inserted before you go into the operating theatre. They will be removed when you no longer need them.
After your surgery
Once your surgery is complete, your anaesthetist will take you to the recovery room, where nurses who are specially trained in post-surgery care will look after you as you wake up. Some patients may need to go to a special care unit (like High Dependency Unit (HDU) or Intensive Care Unit (ICU)) for extra care while they recover.
It’s normal to feel sleepy when you wake up from anaesthesia. You might also feel some pain, discomfort, or nausea. Your nurses will give you medication at regular intervals to help with pain relief and nausea. If you still feel uncomfortable, ask for more help.
You may also have a dry or sore throat or a headache. These usually go away within 1-2 days. Most people stay in the hospital for 1-5 days after their surgery, but everyone is different so ask your surgeon for an idea of how long you might be staying in the hospital.
Possible risks
Serious problems are very rare but it's important you know about them. If you have any concerns or questions, talk to your anaesthetist. They will be happy to explain everything and help you feel comfortable with the plan for your surgery.
May include:
- Bruising
- Feeling tired
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Sleep problems
- Feeling tired and sleepy
- Muscle pain
- Nausea or vomiting
These are very rare and may include:
- Severe allergic reaction
- Severe bleeding
- Heart attack, stroke, or seizure
- Lung damage or pneumonia
- Infection
- Damage to the vocal cords
Frequently asked questions
You can read answers to more frequently asked questions on the Anaesthesia FAQs page. The Day of your planned surgery resource on this website also offers some information to help you prepare for your surgery.
