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Custom fit knee replacement technique boosts success in India

Orthopedic surgeons like Dr.A.K.Venkatachalam have noticed a trend of younger patients requiring a knee replacement. He is offering a concept called 'patient specific instrumentation' to help prolong the life of implants in these young patients. He was the first surgeon to introduce the durable Oxinium knee implant in Chennai in November 2008. Now he has added another technique to increase the life of prostheses implanted in young patients.
Oxinium™ joints are manufactured from the rare metal Zirconium. The metal Zirconium is heated to a high temperature and exposed to oxygen when it acquires a ceramic surface layer. The surface ceramic layer reduces wear of the joint by 5000 times thus increasing the life of the prostheses. In addition to their strength and longevity, Oxinium™ implants are lightweight and hypoallergenic. Therefore these implants are capable of surviving for lengthier periods in young patients than traditional implants.
The latest concept to be introduced is the ‘Visionaire’, patient specific instrumentation from Smith & Nephew. The ‘Visionaire’ patient specific instrument technology provides the surgeon a customized cutting jig derived from the individual patient’s anatomy. Patient’s anatomic data is gathered from pre-operative x rays and MRI scans. The images are sent online to the company’s engineers based in the US through online software. An engineer uses this data to design and build customized surgical instruments that accommodate the unique shapes and angles of each patient's joint for a more precisely aligned implant. These customized molds or cutting blocks are shipped to the surgeon within four weeks. Armed with these customized cutting blocks, the surgeon is confident of shaping the patient’s bone very accurately.

Dr. Venkatachalam performed the latest surgeries utilizing this customized approach at the Chettinad Health city’s super-specialty hospital.

Benefits of Custom made knee instruments

Benefits of Patient Specific Surgery (custom made knee replacements)

A study published in The Journal of Arthroplasty concluded that surgeries using patient-matched instruments give results that were a full degree closer to neutral to the body's natural alignment,  than those which used traditional instruments. Accurate placement of an implant has long been considered and shown to reduce implant wear and improve longevity.

In addition to improving alignment, the Journal study concluded that patient-matched implant technology

•  Reduces anaesthesia & operation time
•  Shortens hospital stays.
•  Reduces the length of the surgical incision 
•  Minimizes blood loss.
•  Lowers the risk of infection

 With this combined technology, the implants can be expected to last for thirty years versus the ten to fifteen years with traditional cobalt chrome implants.
The new approach to knee replacements offers a number of benefits including but not limited to conservation of existing bone and added stability of the knee joint. Utilizing patient specific instrumentation during the operation, the surgeon is able to make anatomically precise cuts of the knee bone for a customized fit of the prosthesis. The implant is thus aligned to fit the specific patient's knee anatomy precisely. Reduction of pain and increased mobility and range of motion are just a few of the added benefits of such stability.

The Oxinium™ implant with ‘Visionaire’ patient specific instruments, offers minimally invasive procedures that reduce the risk of bleeding, complications, infections and postoperative pain. Hospital stay is shortened. Patients are able to return to an active lifestyle faster than with traditional total knee replacement procedures, enhancing healing, mobility, and range of motion.

For more information regarding Dr. Venkatachalam, the Madras Joint Replacement Center, or Oxinium™ implants & the ‘Visionaire’ system, please visit www.kneereplacement.co.in.