For people with active lifestyles, chronic arthritis and knee replacement could really tie them down. But there’s hope as doctors have started using new breakthroughs - Oxinium knee implants and Visionaire custom-fit knee replacement surgery.
Dr. Alfred J. Tria, hip & knee arthroplasty specialist who has authored 9 textbooks on knee (Chief, Orthopedic Surgery, St. Peter's University Hospital & Professor, Orthopedic Surgery, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School New Jersey, U.S.A.) along with Dr. S.K.S. Marya, Chairman & Chief Surgeon, Max Institute of Orthopedics & Joint Replacement, Max Super Specialty Hospital, Saket, New Delhi today introduced two orthopedic innovations – Oxinium knee implants and Visionaire custom-fit knee replacement surgery to young orthopedic surgeons in the city.
Traditional knee implants – made of a metallic alloy, cobalt chrome, or of stainless steel – wear out in about 15 years, while the new Oxinium implants last up to 30 years. Oxinium is an alloy of Zirconium that has been processed to absorb oxygen so that there is a ceramic layer on the surface. The resulting material incorporates best features of both ceramic and metal, while avoiding disadvantages of both. Doctors say that an Oxinium implant has metal, which makes it unbreakable, and ceramic that makes movement smoother. It is almost 4,900 times more abrasion–resistant than the traditional metal implants.
“Traditional implants generally fail because of scratches on the surface and wear and tear from long–term use. Oxinium implants have zero friction and are highly abrasion–resistant making them very attractive for patients with active lifestyle," said Dr. S.K.S. Marya. The Oxinium implants reduce friction between the plastic component that acts as cartilage thereby minimizing wear and tear. "Friction might result in loosening of the prosthesis but this does not happen with Oxinium implants," he added. One of the main advantages of Oxinium implants is its longevity, ideal for patients in their late thirties and early forties.
"These implants have been tested and approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) and can last for at least 30 years," said Dr. Alfred J Tria. The implants have been used in the US from 2009. They can be used in people who suffer from arthritis, have complete wear–and–tear of joint, damaged cartilage and irreparable bone–to–bone rubbing. “In fact these implants are ideal for patients who are sensitive to metal. The traditional cobalt chrome implants have high quantities of nickel, but Oxinium implants have almost no nickel content,” Dr. Tria explained.
Dr. Alfred J. Tria and Dr. S.K.S. Marya also informed about another orthopedic breakthrough – Visionaire custom-fit knee replacement surgery i.e. precisely matching the size and placement of the implant specific to the patient’s knee size. This procedure ensures lesser pain, less tissue damage, faster mobilization and longer lasting implant solution. This new 'custom fit knee replacement surgery' enables the surgeon to offer better patient benefit through a higher precision knee replacement surgery leading to a better mobility as early as two weeks. With appropriate planning and more accuracy in surgical process it also reduces the operative time, infection rate and makes the life span of the implants better. This procedure works on the principle that no two patients' knees are similar. With this technology the patient's knee is digitally recreated with the MRI / CT scan which are virtually transmitted to the development centre in the US to create a 3D image mapping of the knee structure. Based on this 3D model the customized template for the knee is created which is then sent back to the hospital for the final procedure.
This technology ensures far greater accuracy and reduces the operation time by almost 40 per cent and also results in less loss of bone and tissues. Even the patient name, gender and the site data are etched on each unit to confirm identification during the surgery thus making it truly personalized. It takes about four weeks to get the custom fit instrumentation, the incision is just about four inches which itself minimises the pain. Infection, blood loss and tissue damage are also reduced to a great extent. Specialized post-operative recovery procedure ensures that the patient achieves early and full mobility within days after surgery.
