Complex Arthroplasty Unit (Hip & Knee Joint Replacement)
On this page:
The Complex Arthroplasty Unit is based at St George’s Hospital in Tooting. It is the tertiary referral centre for hip and knee joint replacement in South West London. The unit specialises in the care and treatment of patients who suffer from advanced arthritis in their hip or knee joints or failed joint replacement. This includes:
- Patients who require complex joint replacement due to variation in their anatomy, previous trauma, infection or because the extreme of the patient’s age.
- Patients who have complex medical problems that may require additional support from our tertiary medical teams.
- Patients with painful or failed joint replacements and investigation for those with suspected infected joint replacements.
These patients will benefit from multidisciplinary team approach that allows us to provide the right treatment for the right patient.
How is the Complex Arthroplasty Unit able to provide excellent care to these patients?
We collaborate with the following multidisciplinary teams:
- High Risk Anaesthetic Clinic
- Microbiology and Infectious Disease Specialists
- Weekly Regional Arthroplasty MDT Meetings
- Musculoskeletal Radiologists
- Specialised Revision Arthroplasty Surgeons
- Plastic Surgeons
- Specialist Nurse Practitioners
- Musculoskeletal Physiotherapists
- Occupational Therapists
- Tertiary Medical Teams (Haematology, Renal , Lymphoedema)
How to do I get treated by the complex arthroplasty team?
The patient can be referred by their general practitioners or physiotherapists using the standardised electronic referral form with comment that the patient needs to be seen by the “complex arthroplasty unit”.
Other medical or orthopaedic teams can refer their patients directly to the complex arthroplasty unit using the attached form. Routine cases will be discussed in the weekly MDT Wednesday morning. Please ensure the referral is submitted by midday on the Tuesday. If you have an urgent referral for an inpatient requiring transfer, please follow-up the referral email by contacting Áine Ringrose (Arthroplasty CNS – bleep 7442) during office hours or the on-call orthopaedic registrar via switch (bleep 7439).
What will happen following referral to the unit?
All referrals are reviewed and triaged by one of the surgeons. If the patient was referred for treatment, then an appointment will be offered to the patient.
Research and Development
The unit extensively involved in research projects and collaborates with other academic units. Some of our patients may be contacted by our research team to participate in certain studies if they wish.
Contact details
Complex Arthroplasty Unit
Room 5015, 5th Floor, St James Wing
St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Blackshaw Road, Tooting, London, SW17 0QT
Tel: 02087251689
E-mail: arthroplasty@stgeorges.nhs.uk
Meet the team
Surgeons:
Mr Phillip Mitchell – Consultant orthopaedic surgeon
Mr John Stammers – Consultant orthopaedic surgeon
Mr Sulaiman Alazzawi – Consultant orthopaedic surgeon
Orthopaedic Nurse practitioner:
Ms Áine Ringrose – Orthopaedic Nurse Practitioner
