Special Delivery

In the trying days and weeks that followed the premature birth of Beth Barrett’s daughter 45 years ago, the team of neonatal nurses that cared for the infant saved a life and inspired a career.

“My daughter was born 2½ months early, and the care she received was so phenomenal that I decided that I wanted to do what those women were doing,” Beth relates. “So, I later went to nursing school and became a labor-and-delivery nurse.”

Beth, 68, devoted 23 years to helping usher new lives into the world. She loved her work so much that she says she’d probably still be doing it had her husband not retired and bought a home for them in Florida.

“We live part of the year in Louisville, Kentucky, and I couldn’t ask my employer to just keep my job on hold for the three or four months we spend here, so I had to let the job go,” Beth offers. “It was very fulfilling, though. I loved every minute of it.”

Beth now devotes the bulk of her time to helping adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities as a member of the board of directors for an adult care community in Louisville.

Not long ago, Beth found herself in need of care for a painful hip issue.

“I have had pretty significant arthritis for a long time, and because of that I’ve had surgery on both of my wrists as well as a total right knee replacement,” Beth reports. “The knee replacement was in August 2020. Two years after that, my left hip started to give me fits.

“It hurt all the time, no matter what I was doing, and the pain was so intense that it made me very unstable. I had a hard time walking because of it, and if I turned a certain way, that hip joint would just sort of catch, and it would almost cause me to fall.”

Beth’s hip pain was so persistent that it interrupted her sleep and often caused her to cry out in agony. It was an intolerable situation that she was forced to endure for six months because she could not find anyone who could recommend a doctor to treat her.

Then, while dining with friends in Florida one night, an acquaintance of one of those friends suggested that Beth visit the Outpatient Joint Replacement Center of America in Tampa, the practice of orthopedic surgeon Philip E. Clifford, MD, AAHKS, AAOS.

“He started telling me all about the practice, and then, right there at dinner, he texted Dr. Clifford’s physician assistant,” Beth remembers. “The next day, I called Dr. Clifford and he asked if I could come see him two days later. I said, absolutely. I’ll be there.”

Success Stories

Co-founded by Dr. Clifford and Paulina J. Collier, MPAS, PA-C, the Outpatient Joint Replacement Center of America specializes in a unique outpatient surgical protocol for hip or knee joint replacement, or arthroplasty.

The protocol allows for speedier recoveries that permit patients to walk away from their surgery within a few hours, eliminating long postoperative hospital stays. In addition, patients can resume their favorite activities shortly thereafter.

Dr. Clifford’s patients have included a cyclist who returned to riding 15 miles a day within a month of receiving a new knee, an 80-year-old skier who was back on the slopes a few weeks after a hip replacement, and a yoga instructor who was doing poses and stretches while still in the recovery room after her hip replacement.

And now there’s Beth. Her treatment began with a thorough examination during which Dr. Clifford reviewed x-rays and an MRI that helped him determine that replacement surgery was necessary. He then explained the techniques and medications that are at the core of the procedure’s success.

Courtesy Image Beth Barrett
Beth Barrett

“One of the medications we use is called Exparel®,” Dr. Clifford explains. “It’s a long-lasting, non-opioid, local anesthetic that can last for two to three days.

“And whether we’re replacing a knee or a hip, we always use a technique that requires less assault on the muscle.

“Our hip procedure, for example, is performed through an incision that is only three to four inches long. That small incision allows for preservation of muscle attachment and speedier recoveries.

“It’s also important to note that during our procedure, we detach only one tendon from the hip, which is then repaired anatomically. This technique results in less trauma to the hip, less blood loss and a smaller chance the length of the leg will be changed.”

“But the best thing about our protocol is that there are no limitations after surgery. Whether it’s a knee or hip being replaced, patients can return to activities almost immediately. In fact, we encouraged them to do just that.”

Education and communication are also important factors in the protocol, according to Dr. Clifford, who spends more than an hour preparing patients and educating them on the postoperative regimen required to ensure a successful outcome.

“Not only that, but when our patients go home after surgery, they know that between 4 and 7 o’clock that night, we’re going to call to check on them,” the doctor adds. “It’s not them calling us; it’s us calling them. That level of patient care does not exist in many places these days.”

Up and Out the Door

Beth can attest to that. Just a week after first meeting Dr. Clifford, she had her left hip replaced. Shortly after the surgery, she was speaking with the doctor in the recovery room as she made a miraculous discovery.

“My hip pain was gone, completely gone,” she enthuses. “I couldn’t believe it. And when I mentioned it to Dr. Clifford, he said, Yeah, I took care of that. Then, the very next day, I started physical therapy. That was another thing Dr. Clifford told me to do.

“He wanted me to start physical therapy the very next day. He said, I want you showered, dressed and out the door – not getting home health care – the day after surgery because moving around helps reduce the risk for a blood clot and other complications.”

“I was thinking that might be a bit of a challenge, but I was able to do it. Three days later, I no longer needed the walker they gave me for support. They then gave me a cane to assist in my walking, but after 10 days, I didn’t even need that anymore.”

Beth is now several months removed from her hip surgery, and she’s so pleased with the results that she plans to have Dr. Clifford fix the right knee joint that was replaced two years ago.

“I’ve always had a problem with that knee because it kind of folds into my left leg when I walk,” Beth relates. “It was even worse after I had it replaced, and I’m afraid it’s messing up my right hip and back.

“To be honest, after what he did for my hip, I wouldn’t want anyone else to touch that knee. Dr. Clifford came very highly recommended, and I recommend him highly to others. He’s exceptional.”