St Vincent’s Offers Joint

Replacement Programs

BRIDGEPORT — St Vincent’s Medical Center is presenting Joint Camp Information Sessions for people who are interested in learning more about joint replacement surgery but are not yet scheduled for surgery. The sessions are scheduled for Monday, March 7, from 4 to 5:30 pm, and Tuesday, April 5, from 6 to 7:30 pm, in the Level 3 ETC Conference Room of St Vincent’s Medical Center.

Participants will learn about total hip and total knee replacement surgery, postanesthesia care, their stay on the orthopedic unit, and postdischarge expectations. Exercises to be done before and after surgery are demonstrated. A question and answer period will also be provided.

The information sessions are part of St Vincent’s Joint Camp, a kind of comprehensive “boot camp” the takes patients from preoperative education and physical strengthening right through joint replacement surgery and recovery using a team approach. This helps prepare them physically and also lessens anxiety.

Since preoperative classes and exercise sessions as well as post-op therapy sessions are in a group setting, patients have a support system and are able to encourage each other and stay motivated.

“We prepare patients for surgery and play an active role in their recovery,” says Anne Moore, orthopedic nurse manager. “The result is less pain, decreased need for medications, and a faster return to normal activity.”

For more information on St Vincent’s Joint Camp or to register for the information sessions, call Gail Fulco, orthopedic physician assistant, at 203-576-6429.