AI-Assisted Surgery Enables India’s First Same-Day Bilateral Hip Replacement in Delhi

The patient was mobilised under medical supervision within four hours of being transferred to the recovery room and discharged on the same day.

Delhi surgeons have performed India’s first same-day bilateral hip replacement using smart AI navigation, allowing a 40-year-old patient to return home within hours of undergoing surgery on both hip joints.

The procedure marks a development in the use of AI-assisted technology and accelerated recovery protocols in orthopaedic care.

The patient, from Myanmar, had been living with avascular necrosis in both hips, in which the reduced blood supply damages bone tissue, potentially leading to bone deterioration, joint damage and persistent pain, leading to progressively declining mobility.

Dr Sujoy Bhattacharjee, chairman and chief of the Max Institute of Robotic Joint Replacement, led the 3.5-hour operation, in which the surgical team replaced both hip joints using uncemented implants from the Meril Libertas hip replacement system.

According to the hospital, smart AI navigation provided information to guide implant positioning and anatomical alignment during the procedure.

Navigation-assisted surgery uses computer-based guidance to help surgeons plan and execute implant placement according to a patient's anatomy, while the surgeon retains control of the operation.

The patient was mobilised under medical supervision within four hours of being transferred to the recovery room. After assessing the patient's clinical condition and functional recovery against discharge criteria, the medical team permitted discharge on the same day.

"Smart Al navigation gave us precise implant positioning and alignment, and with careful planning and a structured recovery protocol, we were able to mobilise the patient early and send him home safely the same day. It shows that, in carefully selected patients, same-day discharge is possible even after a bilateral procedure," said Dr Bhattacharjee.

Although replacing both hips during one operation is an established orthopaedic procedure, combining it with same-day discharge presents additional clinical challenges.

Patients require effective pain management, close post-operative monitoring and early rehabilitation. The day-care approach therefore depends on careful patient selection, preoperative planning and structured recovery protocols.

The hospital has also highlighted potential cost savings. A conventional bilateral total hip replacement, including imported implants, typically costs around INR 7 lakh, while the day-care approach can reduce expenses by approximately 25%.

The case demonstrates the potential application of AI-assisted navigation in complex joint replacement surgery, alongside protocols designed to support early mobilisation and discharge.

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