The Indraprastha Apollo Hospital is propagating the importance and benefits of “Golden Knee” implants, especially for the elderly
After cardiac related problems and cancer, osteoarthritis has emerged as the third most common disease plaguing the human population globally. In India, approximately 15 per cent of the population is suffering from this disease. It is no longer an issue of only the elderly, but has manifested across all ages. Though many have opted for a knee transplant surgery, using the normal implants, but some have reported pain and swelling post surgery in the past. Addressing the issue, the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital has started using a new knee prosthesis which is eight times stronger than the normal implant and has sighted many benefits.
Dr Raju Vaishya, senior consultant-orthopedics and joint replacement surgeon, performed the first “Golden Knee” implant surgery at the Apollo Hospital on May 26. Since then, he has performed 25 successful surgeries. He said, “The incidence of the disease increases with age and generally affects women more frequently than men. Moreover, the problem is more commonly found in those who are obese and thus lifestyle has inadvertently led to an increase in those suffering from this painful condition.”
The “Golden Knee” are advanced versions of the total knee replacement implants (prosthesis) which provides the best solution to people suffering from osteoarthritis. Dr Vaishya explained, “In this, the implant has a bionic gold surface which prevents direct contact with the base material of the implant and the surrounding tissues. It also reduces the release of particles and ions due to wear and tear and therefore almost eliminates the chances of metal allergy.
As the surface of this metal is smooth, it causes less friction thereby increasing the life of the joint to 30-35 years which in normal implants lasts up to 15-20 years.” He further elaborated that the bionic gold surface is made by a fully biocompatible titanium niobium nitride (TiNbN) surface coating on metallic implant components. This coating presents as metallic, light yellow (golden) appearance whereby the coating forms a firm bond with the implants. These “Golden Knee” implants are marginally expensive than the routinely used implants, costing around Rs 75,000 as compared to Rs 60,000 for the normal implants. However, with these implants the patients get high flexion ability, which means that they can even squat, kneel, and climb stairs with ease and comfort.
The advances made in knee transplant procedures are also to be noted. The operating time has been reduced from 4-6 hours to approximately 45minutes; the recovery time has increased; lesser units of blood is required now for the surgery and the pain has been reported to be considerably low in patients after surgery.
