Sportklinik Hellersen is celebrating a significant highlight in the history of arthroplasty - the specialist clinic for orthopaedics, trauma surgery, pain medicine, sports medicine and arthroplasty recently implanted its 15,000th joint replacement in the field of arthroplasty. This success includes both initial implantations and the significantly more complex replacement operations.
A decisive change in the history of Sportklinik Hellersen towards specialization in arthroplasty took place on 1 October 2004. Dr. Joachim Hagenah replaced the then Chief Dr. Schuchardt and set up a specialized department for artificial joint replacement. While hip and knee prostheses had previously been implanted in all three existing departments, this task was now the sole responsibility of the Chief's department. "We started in 2005 with just under 500 prosthesis operations in the knee and hip area. At the time, we thought that after 20 years we could have achieved 5,000 to 10,000 arthroplasties," reports Dr. Joachim Hagenah. But the development exceeded expectations: "Shortly before the coronavirus pandemic, we were already performing 850 to 870 operations a year. That's an impressive number for our small town." In the first few years, the focus was mainly on hip operations; the number of hip and knee replacements is now almost equal. In addition, the spectrum was expanded at that time to include replacement operations, which now account for an average of 150 to 200 operations per year. The AOK's nationwide comparison of clinics also confirms the outstanding expertise of the specialists at Endoprothetik Hellersen. The specialist clinic impresses with an above-average low complication rate and achieves particularly good results in the implantation of artificial hip and knee joints as well as in prosthesis replacements.
Patient Christel Oelfke was delighted with the 15,000th joint prosthesis: "I had pain in my left hip. Over the course of the last six months, the pain increased more and more and my everyday life was impaired. I could no longer walk long distances and bending down was also very difficult," reports the patient. Thanks to the hip replacement, she is looking forward to being able to walk longer distances again soon. "I have a family and grandchildren, and of course I want to do things with them. That was no longer possible before the operation," she sums up.
"We are proud to have reached the significant milestone of 15,000 prosthesis implantations. This not only demonstrates the high quality of our specialist clinic, but is also a reflection of the tireless work and expertise of our entire team in the field of arthroplasty," says a delighted Dirk Burghaus, CEO of Sportklinik Hellersen. In the future, the specialist clinic plans to further expand its unique selling point in the field of endoprosthetics and to establish itself as a leading institution in this field beyond the region. Robotics will play a central role in artificial joint replacement and significantly increase the precision and efficiency of the procedures.
"We will continue to expand our position as a pioneer in quality and technology and at the same time strengthen Lüdenscheid as a medical location in the interests of all patients," explains Dirk Burghaus. Robotics represents a significant advance in knee surgery in particular, marking an important step into the future and decisively optimizing the quality of patient care.
Press contact
Sarah Burghaus
Head of Marketing, Corporate Communication & PR, Press Spokesperson
sarah.burghaus@hellersen.de
Marketing & Communication
marketing@hellersen.de
