The hip replacement is scheduled for Sept 8th 7 am, the first work day after the Labor Day weekend. Three weeks from tomorrow. I hope surgery is a little like car manufacturing where it is better to buy a car assembled on Monday after the weekend then Friday at the end of the week.
The surgeon will be using a device made by DePuy. The Corail model. Ain't she a beauty? It is a metal on metal implant. I believe the stem is made of titanium and the ball and cup liner are made of cobalt chromium which is extremely hard and should outlast me. If they dig up my coffin 500 years from now all they will find will be a funny looking metal thingy bouncing around in a large box. The stem and outer cup later (the darker grey textured cap) is covered with hydroxyapatite (HA) which encourages bone growth. They don't glue these in anymore but instead once positioned the bone grows into the device to secure it.
The surgeon will be making an Anterolateral incision ( between the side and front of the hip) of about 5 inches. Surgery should be about two hours.
* There are quite a few manufacturers of artificial hips and many different approaches to surgery. I don't want to imply that the above is any better or worse than what another doctor may use.
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