Before, during and after the operation the patients are also attended by the anaesthesiological department. Together with them they choose the most adequate kind of anaesthesia for them. The progress in medical technology and the development of very subtle needles allows nowadays nearly all patients to perform a so called regional anaesthesia where only the body parts below the navel are numbed. This means an essential reduction of stress for the patients. To avoid that the patients are frightened by the sounds of the surgical instruments they additionally receive a medication which makes them sleep. If such an anaesthesia is not possible a general anaesthesia would be performed like in all chest and abdominal operations.

Already during the surgery the individual customized pain therapy commences. Patients, who are capable of doing it, can administer themselves pain medication via special automats as much as they want without the necessity to call the nurses every time they feel pain. A special computer software in this devices prevents overdosage. Otherwise during the first days after the operation pain killers will be administered continuously via iv-infusions to reduce the pain considerably. Additionally there are special catheters with whom certain nerves can be blocked. Also supporting pain acupuncture is utilized when needed.

The necessity to transfuse blood is diminishing more and more in hip and knee replacement surgery. On one side there are smaller skin incisions and less traumatizing of the surrounding soft tissue and on the other side we use a so called cellsaver, with which we can collect the leaking blood during the operation from the operation side and afterwards from the drainages. After preparation the patients will receive their own saved blood.