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Live interview with Thomas Sampson, MD, Medical Director of the Total Joint Center.

Dr. Sampson discussed the latest new technology, minimally invasive hip replacement surgery. Dr. Sampson is the first orthopedic surgeon to perform this technology in San Francisco.

Press release:

Saint Francis Orthopedic Surgeon First in San Francisco to Perform Minimally Invasive Hip Replacements

San Francisco, CA - Thomas G. Sampson, MD, medical director of the Total Joint Center at Saint Francis Hospital, is the first San Francisco orthopedic surgeon to perform the new mini-incision total hip replacement surgery. Developed in Warsaw, Indiana by Zimmer, Inc., this minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for hip replacement was first performed in February 2002. MIS techniques are used with clinically proven implants and can shorten recovery times, reduce length of stay in the hospital and result in much smaller scars (3-4 inches versus the standard incision of 6-12 inches).

The instruments used in MIS have been improved and modified to enable surgeons the ability to properly align and place the implants though a much smaller incision. This smaller incision also helps to minimize blood loss. "This new technology results in a less traumatic procedure with a quicker return to active lifestyle," says Dr. Sampson. "We have performed 3 MIS procedures at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in last two weeks. Patients have had little to no pain after surgery. They are walking up and down stairs and over 1,000 feet before they leave the hospital. These outcomes are very impressive."

About Saint Francis Memorial Hospital:
Saint Francis Memorial Hospital was founded by a group of dedicated physicians in 1905 and is a member of Catholic Healthcare West, the largest not-for-profit heath care provider in California. Saint Francis is fully accredited and serves the City's most diverse neighborhoods, with service areas of excellence in emergency services, spine and joint medicine, sports medicine and acute medical/surgical adult care.