Dr. Alfred Cook, Jr. performs outpatient shoulder surgery, allowing patients to recover in their home.

Have you ever had surgery in a hospital? If so, you know how difficult it is to get a good night’s rest. 

Nurses come in at all hours of the night. Conversations and footsteps are frequently heard in the hallway. The machine you’re hooked up to makes a constant beeping noise. These annoyances are compounded by the hospital’s nonstop intercom system. 

Obviously, the ideal situation for patients would be to recover in the comfort of their homes.

That’s now possible for patients undergoing shoulder replacement surgery with Dr. Alfred Cook Jr. of Advanced Orthopedics Institute. He began performing outpatient shoulder surgeries prior to the coronavirus pandemic. Previously, patients spent two or three nights in the hospital following shoulder surgery. 

“There are obvious advantages to outpatient surgery,” Dr. Cook says. “When you’re not in the hospital, there’s a lower risk of infection after surgery. Also, having the ability to recover at home instead of the hospital gives patients peace of mind and makes recovery time easier.”

Dr. Cook makes sure patients receive adequate after-care through regional anesthetics, pain medications, and physical therapy. 

“The home creates an environment of success for patients,” Dr. Cook says. 

“We see a high level of satisfaction among those who undergo outpatient shoulder replacement surgery. They are happy their pain has been eliminated, and they’re excited when they have normal function again.”

Dr. Cook is undoubtedly a pioneer in shoulder replacement surgery. He has worked with companies to help formulate superior implant designs that replicate normal anatomy. Additionally, he has served as a surgical navigator using imaging systems to deliver precise representation of a patient’s anatomy during surgery, which allows for optimization of implant placement.