A resilient 103-year-old resident in Shanghai has successfully recovered from a nasty fracture and is now fully on the road to recovery after undergoing a partial hip replacement surgery, setting a new local age record for such a procedure.
Ms. Xu, a local Shanghai resident, received the surgery after suffering a bad fall while getting out of bed early one morning last month. By the end of the day of the incident, she found she could no longer move her left leg and foot.
"I originally thought it's because I did housework during the day and got tired at night. Later, I couldn't move my foot, and when I tried to put on socks, I felt like I couldn't get my foot in," said Ms. Xu.
Hospital examinations revealed that Ms. Xu had suffered a 'femoral neck fracture,' a type of severe hip fracture. Doctors warned that while the fracture itself was not immediately life-threatening, prolonged bed rest could lead to serious complications arising, such as potential lung infections.
In light of the patient's advanced age, medics knew they had to act.
"Without surgery, the mortality rate is 30 to 50 percent," said Fan Yongqian, director of the orthopedics department of the Shanghai Huadong Hospital.
Following medical advice, Ms. Xu was admitted to the hospital, where a multidisciplinary team comprising experts from the hospital's orthopedic, cardiology, anesthesiology, and nutrition departments developed a comprehensive treatment plan tailored to her condition.
The operation went ahead on May 18, when Ms. Xu successfully underwent a one-hour partial hip replacement surgery.
Staff at the hospital say they have successfully treated multiple fracture patients aged over 80 since the start of this year, but note Ms. Xu is by far the most senior and perhaps the toughest they have encountered so far.
Resilient 103-year-old Shanghai local successfully undergoes hip replacement surgery
