http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Obesity alone may not diminish outcomes or increase the risk of complications in total knee replacement (TKR) patients, according to two research studies presented today at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). However, TKR replacement patients may face significantly longer hospital stays and related costs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-obesity-affect-knee-outcome-complication.html Surgery Thu, 21 Mar 2013 01:00:04 EST news283024764 Ninety-eight percent of total knee replacement (TKR) patients who were working before surgery returned to work after surgery, and of those patients, 89 percent returned to their previous position, according to new research presented today at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). Another related study highlights the life-restoring outcomes of total hip replacement (THR). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-percent-total-knee-patients-life.html Surgery Thu, 21 Mar 2013 01:00:02 EST news283024810 When you think of knee replacement surgery, you generally envision an older adult with painful arthritis. But the procedure is also used for younger patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) whose joints have been severely damaged by the disease. Because the surgery in younger patients is relatively rare, little data exist on the longevity of knee replacements in JIA patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-longevity-total-knee-younger-patients.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:08:22 EST news282992878 (HealthDay)—Most patients who undergo total knee arthroplasty (TKA) return to work, with the majority successfully returning to the same job, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, held from March 19 to 23 in Chicago. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-aaos-knee-patients-jobs.html Surgery Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:30:01 EST news282914903 (HealthDay)—For patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty, use of general anesthesia is associated with a significant increase in complications compared with spinal anesthesia, according to a study published in the Feb. 6 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-anesthesia-ups-knee-complications.html Surgery Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:40:05 EST news280159647 (HealthDay)—Lower tourniquet cuff pressure, achieved using a limb-occlusion pressure method, is associated with reduced postoperative wound complications after total knee arthroplasty, according to research published in the Dec. 19 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-cuff-pressure-wound-complications-tka.html Surgery Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:40:01 EST news277390690 In their search for new, better ways to diagnose periprosthetic joint infection, Rothman Institute at Jefferson researchers have discovered that measurement of C-reactive protein in the synovial fluid is extremely accurate, while measuring a patients' serum white blood cell count (WBC) and the percentage of neutrophils (PMN%), the conventional method for diagnosis, has a minimal role in the determination of PJI. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-rothman-jefferson-abandon-convention-periprosthetic.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:40:00 EST news247894792 Despite increased use of total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA), there is a notable lack of consensus about optimal postoperative treatment. Aquatic therapy has been shown to have a beneficial effect, and it is typically begun two weeks after surgery, after the wound has healed. According to a new study published in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, beginning aquatic therapy just 6 days after TKA may lead to improved results, while delaying its onset an additional week may be more appropriate after a THA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-aquatic-therapy-total-knee-arthroplasty.html Other Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:40:01 EST news243664181 Compared with osteoarthritis patients, individuals with rheumatoid arthritis who undergo total knee replacement surgery have lower expectations about their postsurgical outcomes, according to a new study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City. These reduced expectations, which may be unnecessary, could cause some patients to slack on their postsurgical rehabilitation leading to worse outcomes, say doctors. The study will be presented November 7 at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-rheumatoid-arthritis-patients-knee-surgery.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Sun, 06 Nov 2011 06:46:26 EST news239784373 An updated clinical practice guideline released last week by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Board of Directors recommends how to reduce the likelihood of blood clots after hip or knee replacement surgery, procedures that more than 800,000 Americans undergo each year. The new guideline suggests use of preventive treatments and advises against routinely screening patients after surgery using ultrasound imaging. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-guideline-outlines-blood-clots-hip.html Other Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:11:49 EST news236621497 Researchers have discovered that obese adults undergoing surgery are less frequently developing respiratory insufficiency (RI) and adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and that when they do, they are less likely to have fatal outcomes. The researchers say they have several theories of how obesity protects patients from mortality associated with RI/ARDS, and pinpointing the protective mechanism could help them develop interventions to help non-obese patients avoid adverse outcomes. The finding comes from a study published online ahead of print in the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-obese-patients-die-respiratory-distress.html Health Mon, 11 Jul 2011 04:16:22 EST news229576568 Although women generally have worse knee function and more severe symptoms before undergoing surgery for knee replacement than men, they recover faster after the operation. Men take longer to recover but, after a year, they catch up with women and there are no differences in surgery outcomes at that time. These findings by Thoralf Liebs, from Hassenpflug University of the Schleswig-Holstein Medical Center in Germany, and colleagues, are published online in Springer's journal Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-men-post-op-catch-up.html Other Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:05:55 EST news228567939