Discharged from the hospital within two days of a total hip replacement operation? It’s possible, thanks to the new ‘Fast Track’ protocol that underwent testing in the U.S., in response to both patient requests for shorter hospital stays and economic realities of providing medical care. According a new study, a carefully screened group of patients undergoing total hip replacement can be discharged from the hospital two days after surgery, without any increase in complications or adverse effects compared with the more traditional protocol.