Full hip replacement now available in Whitehorse for Yukon residents

For the first time in Yukon's history, a patient was able to get a full hip replacement within the territory.

It's a milestone for the Whitehorse General Hospital's orthopedic program.

"I grew up here so being able to bring this to the territory and everyone here is [something] I take great pride in," said Dr. Scott Westberg, an orthopedic surgeon who was around the operating table. In a news release, Yukon Hospitals says the procedure took place on Nov. 29.

Westberg said previously, patients had to be referred elsewhere to receive care, typically to surgeons in Vancouver or Alberta. They would have to fly to the appointment, then take a return flight shortly after the procedure. Sometimes they would have a chaperone for the journey.

"So that's not ideal care. It's quite difficult, you know. You have risk of blood clots and they still have pain and stiffness. And so that's taken out of the equation, which is nice," Westberg said.

"And then just having your family close by to be able to, you know, see you in recovery or, you know, help you … with all your things at home is great."

The full hip replacement took a wide array of personnel and services and getting it all in place was key to making it possible.

Westberg said the team needed the right implants and equipment, along with X-rays and scans. Meantime, nurses were involved from operation to recovery along with physiotherapists.

"There's actually lots of pieces to get in place to get this ready. The dates actually got pushed back quite a bit and we finally got this thing off the ground so it's been great," he said.

Achievement welcomed by local advocate

Lillian Nakamura Maguire, a volunteer for the advocacy group Seniors Action Yukon, is among those applauding the breakthrough.

"Well, I think it's a good news story, for sure," Nakamura Maguire said. "This is, of course, much better for the patient in terms of less disruption in their lives. And in terms of wait times as well, I'm sure it's had an impact."

However, she said there's a growing need for preventative and support services for people with osteoarthritis.

"We have an aging population here and so that need is definitely increasing. A lot of people have osteoarthritis. You'll see that the numbers are very high as we get older as well," she said.

"We need to be doing more ahead of the game so that … we can delay these surgeries and prevent the need for them as long as possible."

As somebody who lives with the condition, she seeks out physiotherapy and massages and thinks there should be tailored exercise programs available.

"But you know, the time will probably come when I will need it. But let's do as much as possible now to support people who have osteoarthritis."

Work ahead to reduce wait times

Yukon Hospitals says expanding access to orthopedic care at home helps to keep wait times low and reduces the need to bring specialists from outside the territory.

Westberg is one of two orthopedic surgeons at the Whitehorse General Hospital. Currently, the team is approved to perform 100 joint surgeries per year — that includes both knees and hips. He said the typical wait lasts about a year.

The goal is to work with the hospital and territorial government to cut that down to six months.

"The things that obstruct that right now are bed spaces and lack of human and other resources in the hospital but we're working on all those fronts to improve that to decrease wait times," he said.

"We're also looking at even potentially bringing in a third orthopedic surgeon locally to help decrease both the time it takes to see us and the time it takes to get surgery afterwards. So that's an ongoing battle as well."