NEW DELHI: A 36-year-old Iraqi man weighing 162 kg has regained his ability to walk after undergoing a technically challenging total hip replacement at a private hospital, in what doctors describe as one of the most complex joint replacement surgeries performed on a morbidly obese patient at the facility.Ahmed Abdulmueen Kadhim had been living with severe pain and progressive loss of mobility due to secondary degenerative arthritis of his right hip. After conservative treatment in Iraq failed to provide relief over several years, he travelled to India seeking treatment.The patient’s extreme body weight posed major surgical and anaesthetic challenges. Excessive weight not only makes surgical exposure and implant positioning more difficult but also places significantly higher mechanical stress on the artificial joint, requiring meticulous planning and specialised implants.The surgery, performed at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Patparganj, was led by Dr (Prof. ) Anil Arora, Chairman and Head of Orthopaedics and Joint Replacement. The team carefully planned the implant selection and fixation strategy to ensure long-term stability despite the patient’s high body weight.“Performing a total hip replacement in a patient weighing 162 kg presents significant technical challenges. Careful pre-operative planning, precise implant positioning and stable fixation were critical to achieving a successful outcome,” Dr Arora said.Doctors used a collared femoral stem implant to provide additional support for the replacement joint. The surgery was completed without complications, and postoperative X-rays confirmed satisfactory positioning and stability of the implants.Following the operation, the patient underwent supervised physiotherapy and rehabilitation aimed at strengthening the muscles around the operated hip and gradually restoring mobility. He reported early pain relief, showed improvement in walking ability and was discharged seven days after surgery before returning to Iraq.
