Music:

Hip Registry-ology

Of the recent innovations in medical science
Most impressive is arguably the orthopedic hip appliance
Patients once confined by immobility and pain
Can experience range of motion and well being again
But the forms that follow this function range
From anatomically inspired to diabolically strange
And how is a physician supposed to make a choice
From such diversity of shapes and sizes of invoice

There’s the Odyssey, Apollo, Phoenix, Gemini, Revelation
Accolade, Encore, Premiere, Pinnacle, Citation
Crossfire, Target, Impact, Sentry, Guardian, Restoration
Marathon, Longevity, Vitality, Duration
But without an analytical agency to trace
Which of these have been successful and which needed to be replaced
The statistical prognoses are no more known
Than when a pedigreed dog buries a bone

Now, in Sweden all the hip replacement units report yearly
Specific details concerning implants to a national hip registry
Through analysis of factors for long-term clinical success
The hazard-function for revision is no longer a guess
And by comparing the risk ratios of hardware and surgical technique
They’ve eliminated choices that were patently weak
And a higher expectation for results is realistic
When you plant an implant and harvest a statistic

One might wonder why our medically progressive nation
Is so far behind the times in our hip implant registration
Is it disorganization, lack of funds, procrastination?
Or a corporate fear that finding facts will lead to litigation?
As the population ages and the incidence increases
It’s imperative that orthopedists have information on prostheses
So the quality of care can build on all that can be known
Lest the implant that fails be your own

Words and music by Annie Gallup, c 2004