Revision Hip Replacement Gives a 22-Year-Old from Sierra Leone a New Lease on Life
Pune : A team of doctors at Noble Hospitals and Research Centre conducted a revision hip replacement surgery on a 22 year old from Sierra Lone with septic hip. The surgery helped the youngster got rid of excruciating pain and gave a second chance at mobility.
The youngster had undergone complex primary hip replacement in another hospital for septic hip. The hip had got re-infected within couple of months. But the patient come to India a year after by which the infection had spread further.
Explaining the case Dr. Murtaza Adeeb FRCS Ed (Orth) Orthosurgeon at Noble Hospitals and Research Centre said that the youngster had approached us with excruciating pain and near immobility. We conducted an X-ray and MRI scan and various blood tests to confirm the situation.
A septic hip after a hip replacement, also known as a prosthetic joint infection, is a serious bacterial infection around the artificial implant that requires urgent medical evaluation and typically revision surgery.
Dr. Adeeb said that the revision hip replacement is a two-stage process. The first thing is to clear the infection. So, the initial step involves removing all the metal components including the cup and the stem. Then a thorough debridement or clean-up is done. The final step in stage 1 is placement of a cement spacer (antibiotic-soaked device placed in a joint space) . Also infected tissue and pus samples were sent to the lab to pinpoint the bacterial infection.
Accordingly, after the initial surgery we started antibiotics to clear the infection and waited for about eight weeks. Once the infection was cleared, we conducted the second stage of the revision hip replacement.
The second surgery involves the definitive hip replacement operation. This case was more complicated because of the bone loss and thigh bone deformity that had happened because of the infection. We had to prepare the acetabulum ( pelvis) very carefully and had to use bone augments and a special revision cup. Then the femur had to be cut.This is also called femoral osteotomy where the thigh bone (femur) is cut, reshaped, and fixed in a corrected alignment to restore normal weight-bearing axes and relieve joint stress. Then a long stem femoral stem was used. All this created a stable hip replacement.
The operations were successful. The patient was admitted on 5th June 2026 , the first procedure was conducted on 8th June 2026 and the revision hip replacement was conducted on 22 August 2026. The patient is now infection free and will be able to walk normally in another six weeks.
The team of doctors included Dr. Murtaza Adeeb along with Infectious disease expert Dr.Ameet Dravid, Internal Medicine specialist Dr.Aparna Kodre along with Anaesthetist Dr. Sangeeta Chandrashekhar and Orthopaedic Assistants Dr Prashant and Bhalchandra Patil
A notable aspect of this procedure was the patient’s age—just 22 years old. Total hip replacement is typically performed in much older patients, making this case particularly unusual. Moreover, he had already undergone a complex primary total hip replacement.
Dr. Divij Mane, Deputy Managing Director at Noble Hospitals and Research Centre said that “Successfully performing a complex revision hip replacement surgery for a patient from Sierra Leone is a matter of great pride for our entire team. Beyond the clinical achievement, this case reflects the growing confidence that international patients have in Pune’s advanced healthcare capabilities. We are increasingly seeing Pune emerge as a preferred destination for specialised and complex medical treatments, particularly for patients from Africa and the Middle East. With highly skilled specialists, advanced technology, comprehensive healthcare infrastructure and cost-effective treatment options, Pune has the potential to strengthen its position as a leading medical tourism hub in Asia.