Many individuals suffering from advanced arthritis undergo knee replacements to get rid of the pain. A team from the Oxford University has asserted that doctors need to monitor knee replacement surgeries more diligently to improve the outcomes in patients.
The scientists believed that new implant designs are being formulated by many orthopaedic manufacturers. Therefore, more data pertaining to the efficacy and safety of new implants is needed. Basically, here the team referred to personalized surgeries for ensuring maximum benefits in all patients.
Lead author Professor Andrew Carr of Oxford University’s Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS), shared, “Joint replacement has been an outstanding success but further improvements can be achieved by understanding: who should have surgery, when they should have surgery and which is the best implant.”
Presently, national registries of joint replacements serve as sources of information for doctors. Details regarding the kind of implants, surgeon experiences and patient characteristics are found in the registries. Though such records contain information regarding revision operations, little is known on the effects of knee replacements on the patients’ quality of life.
The team urged that registries should contain data related to the patients’ mobility levels, cumulative satisfaction over the surgery as well as their experiences of pain. Even in case of senior citizens who are usually affected by arthritis, the medical arena needs to focus more on minimization of pain.
The study is published in the journal, the Lancet.