BOATING SAFETY

Clermont resident Joe Goloversic has served five years as a member of Lake County Flotilla 43 Coast Guard Auxiliary. He particularly enjoys teaching eighthour boating safety classes.

“You’d be amazed how many people take the class who have been boating for 15 years,” he says. “They leave the class amazed at how many things they did not know about boating. Boating can be a very dangerous hobby if not managed and looked after.”

With 1,400 named lakes, Lake County offers ample boating opportunities. However, Joe highly recommends following precautions to avoid accidents and tragedies.

•“The most important thing is to prepare your vessel. Make sure the engine is well tuned, the fuel tank is clean with no moisture, and the battery is free of corrosion. When the boat is not in use, the battery should always be kept inside a case.”

•“Prepare a checklist to ensure you have all the necessary supplies. Those should include life jackets, first-aid kit, sunscreen, ice water, and food.”

•“Have a life jacket for everyone on the boat.”

•“Bring a boat hook in case someone falls out of the boat. Hand them the boat hook so you can pull them toward the boat. Never jump into the lake and try to save somebody. That’s the last thing you want because you now have two people overboard. And don’t think just because you’re a good swimmer that saving somebody is going to be easy. The environment of a lake is much different than a swimming pool. You have to deal with muck, wind, and plants.”

•Make sure navigation lights are working if you’re going to be out on the water at night. You have to have a single white light at the highest point in the vessel.”

•“Every boat should have a VHF radio. You can purchase them for under $100. There is not one blind spot in Florida where people cannot be heard on a radio. With a radio, an ambulance can be waiting for you at the dock if something bad happens. And if you or one of the passeng having a heart attack, having that radio can potentially be lifesaving.”

•“Always bring an air horn in case another boater is not paying attention to the rules of boating navigation.”

•“Always have a fire extinguisher on your boat and inspect it yearly.”

Water Safety Day

The Lake County Water Safety Advisory Committee will host Water Safety Day May 20. This year’s theme is “Do Your Part to Be Water Smart.”

The event is at multiple locations throughout Lake County, including Waterfront Park in Clermont, the Golden Triangle YMCA in Tavares, and the city recreational pools in Fruitland Park, Leesburg, Umatilla, and Mount Dora.

Members of various local agencies provide swim lessons, demonstrate CPR on mannequins, and perform a mock drowning rescue. Those agencies include the Lake County

Flotilla 43 Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Americ Red Cross.

“We want everyone to enjoy the abundance of water in our county, but at the same time, we want everyone to be safe,” says Stephanie Glass, who serves as staff liaison of the event. “This is a great opportunity for families to learn about water safety so they can have fun on the water instead of dealing with an emergency.”

For more information, contact Stephanie at 352.742.6511.

Written by Joseph R. Locker, M.D.

The Anterior Approach has been gaining popularity due to its numeras 20 percent of all hip surgeons are now performing anterior hip replacements. I have been doing the anterior approach for hip replacement surgery the results my patients have achieved.

TheAnterior Approach is an alternative to traditional hip replacement in which the hip is accessed from the front of the joint. A standard 10cm (4in) incision is made in the front (anterior) of the hip as opposed to the back (posterior) or side (lateral). The technique uses an interval between the muscles in order to limit injury to them during the course of the surgery. Leaving these muscles intact can limit the risk of dislocation after surgery, and may allow an accelerated recovery. Since the incision is in front, you’ll avoid the pain of sitting on the incision site.

The Anterior Approach is typically made possible with the use of a high-tech operating table that places the leg and pelvis in a stable position. This specially engineered table includes leg supports that allow the surgeon to adjust the operative leg during surgery with a great degree of control and precision. This table is designed to help achieve excellent alignment and positioning of the implant. Rather than being positioned on their side or stomach, the minimizes tilting of the pelvis during the operation. The table also gives excellent access to the femur, or thighbone, in order to position the stem of the implant effectively.

The procedure itself begins with exposing the hip in a way that does not detach muscles or tendons from the bone - a key attribute of the Anterior Approach. The diseased portion of the acetabulum is removed and replaced with a ti- tanium cup. The surgeon then uses the operative leg so the foot points outward, excellent access to the thigh bone or femur, so the surgeon can replace the diseased portion of the bone with the stem implant. This is important since visability is often limited due to smallerincisions.Side-by-side TV screens are used to provide X-ray views of the operative hip and the patient’s opposite hip. This comparison gives information used to determine the desired position for an effective, stable hip replacement implant. The combination of this X-ray imaging and the high-tech table allows the doctor to seek precise control over the patient’s leg length as well.

The incision length, typically smaller than with standard surgery, varies according to a patient’s size, weight and other factors. The Anterior Approach lends itself to a relatively small incision because the hip joint is closest to the skin at the front of the hip. The muscle and fat layers are thinner than the muscle and fat tissue encountered when using other approaches on the side or rear of the thigh. While the smaller scar is a cosmetic advantage, surgeons say the actual size of the incision for each patient varies.

Leaving these muscles intact can limit the risk of dislocation after surgery, and may allow an accelerated recovery. Since the incision is in front, you’ll avoid the pain of sitting on the incision site.

Another way that the Anterior Approach differs from some other techniques is with patient selection. With other procedures, patients may need to be at their ideal bodyweight, for example. The Anterior Approach may make minimally invasive hip surgery possible for a wider range of patients, including larger, heavier patients. That’s because the Anterior Approach enters the body closer to the hip joint, with far less tissue between the skin and the bones of the hip, so more patients may be candidates.

Your doctor will tell you what restrictions you will have after surgery, and every surgeon has his or her own set of precautions for you to follow. Some surgeons who use the Anterior Approach place fewer restrictions in the days after surgery because the operation cuts no muscles around the hip, allowing patients to get back to activities of daily living with fewer limitations. I place no restrictions regarding positioning of the leg after surgery.

Total hip replacement is considered the gold standard for hip arthritis and greatly improves the quality of one’s life. The Anterior Approach in one form or another has been around for many years. It can be performed safely and reproducibly with the use of the fracture table. More and more surgeons are learning this technique, and I believe it will continue to become more widespread as more long term studies are published.

However, ultimately it is a decision between the patient may be best for them.