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Dr. Leone’s specialized surgical approach, combined with personalized care, linked to faster recoveries for hip and knee patients.

More than a decade ago, Dr. William A. Leone, head of The Leone Center for Orthopedic Care at Holy Cross Health in Fort Lauderdale, made an intentional and compassionate decision, transforming the patient care model for his orthopedic practice. It was founded on his vision of providing state-of-the-art orthopedic care while treating every patient with how he would want his family members, and himself, cared for.

Dr. Leone’s unique integration of clinical, surgical, and technological expertise, combined with caring, personalized attention from him and his entire staff, have helped restore mobility and improve the quality of life for thousands of patients from throughout the United States and around the world. He cares for people in their 80s and 90s who refuse to relinquish their independence and opt for surgery to regain their quality of life. He also treats patients in their 20s and 30s who desire an active lifestyle and want to feel “normal” again.

His comprehensive and patient-centered approach begins with the initial consultation and persists throughout the entire post-operative period. Patients are guaranteed increased availability with Dr. Leone and his entire staff, work with a designated and responsive patient liaison, and are educated on what to expect throughout the entire process. This ensures each patient’s entire experience is as positive and comfortable as possible, resulting in successful results and faster recoveries.

“A wonderful trend I’ve seen over my extensive career is that each year my patients are getting well faster and recovering easier than ever before. My surgical procedures are more precise and reproducible and today’s implants are vastly improved compared to years prior,” said Dr. Leone. “Combined with less invasive and more anatomically-sparing surgical techniques and my emphasis on preempting, preventing, and down-regulating pain have all led to patients getting well faster than ever before and regaining their quality of life.”

To avert pain, medication begins prior to surgery, special anesthetic techniques combined with local injections and nerve blocks, gentle soft tissue handling with precise soft tissue balance, and post-operative medications from different families of drugs taken on a schedule, have all made a world of difference. One of the reasons Dr. Leone’s patients recover so quickly is that they are well prepared for their surgery. When patients go into surgery knowing what to expect before, during, and after their surgery, they are less anxious, recover quicker with more confidence, and have an overall superior experience.

“In my experience, a respected, well-informed patient not only has a faster, smoother recovery but also a much better experience, which contributes to a superior outcome,” said Dr. Leone. “Choosing the right surgeon with the right team and at the right hospital is critically important. Education combined with confidence are key ingredients for success.”

Dr. Leone encourages anyone considering hip or knee surgery, to browse his website. He’s written more than 100 blog articles; some are shared thousands of times each month. There is a section on “Frequently Asked Questions,” and he’s particularly proud of the hundreds of inspiring testimonials from patients who share their gratitude and inspiring stories.

The Leone Center for Orthopedic Care provides superb, highly personalized, orthopedic care for people with arthritic hip and knee conditions and for patients who develop problems with a prior joint replacement. Dr. Leone offers patients the latest, most-promising innovations for joint replacement surgery in a compassionate, patient-focused setting. He has performed over 13,000 joint surgeries throughout his career, restoring mobility and improving the quality of life for thousands of patients from around the globe.

The Leone Center for Orthopedic Care at Holy Cross Health is located at 1000 NE 56th Street in Fort Lauderdale. For more information or to schedule a consultation, please call 954-489-4575 or visit holycrossleonecenter.com.

I recently was stopped by a couple riding their bicycles in my neighborhood. My reputation as a veterinarian who gives advice hit a fever pitch in my community during the pandemic.

Mr. and Mrs. Snowbird just came back from their home in upstate New York. They, like so many people, adopted a pet during the pandemic and drove their new dog Rascal, a one-year-old Corgi, down last weekend.

Prior to traveling to Florida, they brought Rascal to their veterinarian because they thought he had allergies. Rascal was shaking his head a lot and vocalized when you touched his ear.

The question that they had for me referenced back to their other dog, Ruby, a 14-year-old Schnauzer who had terrible allergies. She constantly licked her paws, scratched all the time, and rubbed her face. I recommended that they talk to their local veterinarian about Apoquel or Cytopoint allergy treatments.

The schnauzer was a happy dog after starting the medication. They were hopeful that Rascal didn’t have allergies because the medication was expensive, but Rascal seemed very uncomfortable.

I asked them about the working diagnosis. They told me that their New York veterinarian thought that Rascal had an ear infection. Two weeks ago, Rascal’s ears were red, inflamed, and painful. The veterinarian took a sample from the ear to look under the microscope and sent it out for culture.

The doctor started Rascal on an ear cleaner and pain medication and told the couple they would start treatment once the culture results came back.

The couple told me the technician at the hospital called and told them that Rascal had a bacterial ear infection and the vet wanted to start him on antibiotics. They also told them to clean his ears once a day and to continue him on the pain medications if he was still uncomfortable.

After two weeks of medication, ear cleaning, and pain medications I told them that Rascal should be feeling and looking better. They said he wasn’t and wanted to know if I could look.

As we walked to their house, Mr. Snowbird said that Rascal is not clinically better. He doesn’t seem to be in as much pain, but the veterinarian said that he would only need the medication for a few days, and he is still on them.

Rascal also hates it when Mr. Snowbird puts the medication in his ear. He mentioned that it seemed kind of cruel to put cold ear medication in an ear but what does he know. I was puzzled because I don’t know any ear medication that needs to be refrigerated, but maybe the medication was compounded specifically for Rascal.

Rascal is a sweet Corgi. He jumped up on me when I entered the house and, true to form, he smelled sour. When I investigated his ear, it was inflamed and sensitive and full of white material.

I was hoping it wasn’t pus. Mrs. Snowbird brought me the medication and it was Clavamox, an amoxicillin product that was meant to be refrigerated and given orally. I asked them if they are giving the medication orally or putting it into the ear.

I have never seen such finger pointing towards each other. Obviously, someone didn’t read the label. Mrs. Snowbird laughed and told me at least I had a funny story to tell people. Little did they know that I write articles.

Tag: medication

A “hip” approach to state-of-the-art care

Second opinion: Read the Rx label!