Thumb Arthroplasty (Includes Implants)
Thumb Arthroplasty
Thumb Arthroplasty is surgery to replace part or the entire joint at the base of your thumb. Thumb Arthroplasty is a procedure that is performed on patients with advanced basilar thumb arthritis. The procedure is intended to alleviate pain in the thumb and improve function.
Preparation for Thumb Arthroplasty
Your health care provider will talk to you about how to prepare for surgery. He may tell you not to eat or drink anything after midnight on the day of your surgery. He will tell you what medications to take or not take on the day of your surgery before surgery; you will need to obtain clearance from your regular doctor if you have medical problems. You may be required to obtain some basic tests for screening before the surgery. Basic blood tests, a chest x-ray, and an EKG may be required depending on your health.
FAQS
Frequently asked questions about surgical procedures
Can I use my insurance and get these prices?
Payment is due 14 calendar days prior to your surgery date. If, after the cutoff, your account is not settled, your case must be postponed.
How quickly can I have surgery?
How will I meet my surgeon?
If I had a car or work accident, would you work with my employer or attorney for payment?
What if I get sick right before my surgery?
You could develop a respiratory infection, a urinary tract infection, COVID, or some other condition that may necessitate postponement. There is no penalty when this happens.
What’s Included:
- Facility fee
- Graft and hardware costs (if needed)
- Surgeon and assistant surgeon fees
- Anesthesiologist
- Time in the recovery unit (at no additional charge)
- Initial consultation visit
- One post-operative visit
*Please note: If you choose not to proceed with surgery after the initial consultation, or if you delay your procedure for more than 6 weeks, you will need to update your consultation at a cost of $375.
What’s not included:
- Lab testing before and after the surgery, as needed
- Electrocardiogram (EKG), depending on age. If you had one elsewhere in the past 6 months and it read “normal”, we can forego this expense.
- Imaging costs. X-rays and MRIs can be obtained anywhere.
- Physical therapy services
- Medications you’ll need (oral or IV antibiotic infusions if an infection arises)
- Wound care
- Bracing supplies
- Additional doctor visits (a pre-operative visit with the surgeon, in person, and any required post-op follow-ups after the suture removal to monitor your progress
- Additional surgical intervention if a complication arises
- Additional imaging or hospital care if a blood clot develops
Thumb Arthroplasty Surgery
General or regional anesthesia will be given to keep you free from pain during the surgery. Your surgeon will make an incision on the skin over your thumb joint. He will remove part or all of your wrist bone. He may also remove part of your thumb bone. He will reconstruct your joint using cartilage, a tendon taken from your forearm, or an artificial implant. Your surgeon will close your incision with stitches and cover it with bandages.
What to expect after your surgery
Recovery
After surgery, you will be discharged home in a splint. This should not be removed. You will need to cover the splint with a plastic bag when showering. You should keep the hand elevated as much as possible in the first few weeks. You can and should move your fingers. You will see your surgeon 14 days after surgery, in the office, where the stitches will be removed. You will then be placed into a thumb cast and will come back for cast and pin removal 3 weeks later. Once the pin is removed, you will have a custom splint made for the thumb. You will also start hand therapy to work on regaining motion. Strengthening usually starts about 2 months after surgery, and you will be done with therapy and splinting about 3 months after surgery.
What are the risks of Thumb Arthroplasty?
- As with any surgical procedure, complications can occur, some possible complications may include, but are not limited to the following:
- You may have stiffness in your thumb after surgery. You may bleed more than expected or get an infection. If you received an implant, the implant may get loose, break, or become unstable.
Can I Travel to St George for Surgery?
Yes, and we’ll help you make all your arrangements.
- We have arrangements to try to obtain free flights through a non-profit volunteer pilot organization. We can do this with 10 days’ advance notice in most cases.
- We have discount codes for the Holiday Inn in town. This hotel is 1.5 miles from the surgery center and 2 miles from our clinic.
- We’ll arrange to send your after-surgery medications to your hometown pharmacy for pickup before you leave.
What if I would rather drive to St George?
No problem, we can help with those plans as well. When you have surgery with us, we’ll need to make sure you’re safe and comfortable after surgery. We’ll arrange cold compression therapy that requires an AC/DC adaptor/transformer and frequent stops to stretch and refill the ice reservoir on the road.
We’ll ask about the vehicle you’ll travel in to ensure you have a way to elevate and stretch out in the vehicle on the road while someone else does the driving.
How are follow-up and initial consultations handled?
In-person and telehealth consultations are possible with the surgeon to whom your case is assigned. The initial visit is included in the surgical package and is valued at $375.
We can also obtain the flights from the volunteer pilot nonprofit if you’d like to come for initial and follow-up visits in person. One follow-up visit is included in the surgical package at a value of $175. Any additional visits are charged at the time of service to your credit or debit card.
Transparent Pricing Guide
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