WASHINGTON, D.C.—Total joint arthroplasty is one of the most common surgical procedures performed on adults with end-stage arthritis. One recent estimate showed that 2.5 million individuals in the U.S. are living with a total hip replacement and 4.7 million are living with knee replacements. For their patients with inflammatory arthritis, rheumatologists and orthopedic surgeons must…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Local infiltration of liposomal bupivacaine in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) curbed use of opioids and antiemetics and appeared to be both beneficial and cost effective in a recent study. As Dr. Bryan Sakamoto told Reuters Health by email, the results “suggest that liposomal bupivacaine is effective as part of a…
A study that looked at the impact of hepatitis C on short-term outcomes of total joint arthroplasty found an increase in co-morbidity compared with patients without the liver disease. The number of people in need of total joint arthroplasty is expected to rise in conjunction with an aging population and advances in hepatitis C treatments….
Patients with osteoarthritis often consider total knee replacement surgery to resolve pain and increase mobility. However, a recent study found that self-reported knee instability and pain are prevalent in patients both before and after primary unilateral total knee replacement surgery. One-third of the study’s participants still had knee instability after surgery, experiencing knee buckling and shifting associated with pain and limited activity. Using physical performance measurements, researchers linked self-reported knee instability following surgery to pain and poor lower-extremity muscle strength…
(Reuters)—Indiana-based medical device manufacturer Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc. on Friday was cleared of liability in the first of more than 900 U.S. lawsuits to go to trial over claims that its NexGen Flex knee replacements were prone to painful, motion-impairing loosening. Following a three-week trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of…
(Reuters Health)—Total knee replacement can usually relieve pain and improve function, but a nonsurgical regimen can also be effective in some people without posing the complication risks of surgery, according to a new study. The study found that while 85% of patients who underwent surgery showed clinically-significant improvement after one year, so did 67% assigned…
Ankle arthritis is a debilitating condition that leaves many patients in severe pain and greatly limits their activities. Until recently, the standard treatment for bone-on-bone ankle pain has been ankle fusion, or arthrodesis, in which surgeons literally fuse the bones of the ankle joint together. However, in the past few years, total ankle replacement surgery,…
Knee arthroplasty may help prevent cardiovascular disease in patients with osteoarthritis; same-day bilateral surgery safe for select patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Decreases in mortality rates following elective hip and knee replacement surgeries since 2004 may be partly due to modern surgical techniques and better pre- and post-op care.
Do gender-specific knee implants offer clinical benefits for women?