The first hip replacement done 67 years ago was a tall order in those days, but the patient is walking tall even today with no complaints.
Not only that, the 91-year-old British engineer has walked into the record books with the world's longest lasting hip replacement. The world's oldest replacement hips are still serving him well.
Retired engineer Norman Sharp from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, was the first person to undergo a hip operation under the newly-formed NHS in December 1948 after suffering from septic arthritis as a child.
He now holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-lasting hip replacement and is still looking sharp.
It’s amazing the implants have survived for almost seven decades – especially given that today’s hip replacements are expected to last just 10 to 15 years.
According to a report in The Times, the groundbreaking operation was carried out by Philip Newman, an orthopaedic surgeon at Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.
Sharp said: 'It's incredible. It's fantastic. Even to reach this old age is an amazing thing. It's all just wonderful. The last doctor to inspect my legs was Mr Newman, the surgeon himself, the year after the operation. I haven't had any problems or pain since then.”
