Professor Henrik Kehlet
Why is your patient still in hospital?
One hundred orthopaedic surgeons and anaesthetists from seventeen European countries gathered in Barcelona for the Rapid Recovery Symposium on 4-5 November, 2010.
Across Europe, there is a large variation in the length of stay after total knee or hip replacement surgery, with patients spending anywhere from 3 days to 14 days in hospital and the symposium explored the simple, but crucial question: why are they there?
Chaired by the pioneer of “fast-track” surgery, Professor Henrik Kehlet, Prof, MD, PhD, section of Surgical Pathophysiology, Rigshospitalet Copenhagen University, delegates heard a number of presentations about the latest developments in this field.
The chairman ended the meeting with a call to action: “Spread the message that rapid recovery programmes produce great improvements for patients and the hospital,” concluded Professor Kehlet.
Overall the symposium was seen as a great success and feedback was extremely positive. A venue for the 2011 Rapid Recovery Symposium has yet to be confirmed, but will take place on 3-4 November. There will be additional national symposia in the UK and Sweden throughout 2011.
