The medical profession is all about patient care, and Charles DeCook, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Cumming, Ga.-based Arthritis & Total Joint Specialists, is committed to its continuous improvement. He possesses a passion for teaching and has been instrumental in teaching thousands of surgeons the intricacies of the anterior hip replacement approach.
Dr. DeCook performs more than 1,000 joint replacements each year, specializing in anterior hip replacements. When he began performing anterior hip replacements, the 
procedures only represented a small portion of hip replacements in the United States.
"We saw a real need for patients that go through this, and we also saw a real need for surgeons to know how to do it," says Dr. DeCook.
To fill this void, Dr. DeCook began training surgeons in the approach about eight years ago. In about 10 courses to 20 courses each year, he teaches joint surgeons around the world.
"There's a learning curve associated with the anterior approach and we want to have the learning curve as short as possible," says Dr. DeCook. "We have a real passion for teaching surgeons how to do it correctly."
In the anterior technique, patients lie flat on their backs, allowing surgeons to bring in fluoroscopy and X-ray as guidance. A surgeon cuts an eight-inch incision in front of the hip.
Because the procedure doesn't involve cutting muscles, the approach reduces pain and hastens recovery. The technique also limits dislocation complications.
Committed to enhancing hip replacement techniques, Dr. DeCook has also dedicated his time to implant design for the past five years. He is currently involved in creating a table for the anterior hip replacement approach.
"We are designing a new table that allows us to approach the femur, and make the procedure much simpler," says Dr. DeCook.
Dr. DeCook also helped establish the Patient Athlete Program, which Johnson & Johnson designed.
"[The program] allows us to look at a patient as an athlete — they need to prepare for a surgery and be mentally and physically prepared," says Dr. DeCook.
Within this framework, he notes they send 95 percent of patients home the day after surgery. And speeding up a hospital departure is, of course, a primary goal in patient care.
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