http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) recently released its revised clinical practice guideline (CPG) on the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee, addressing two key changes. Most of the remaining recommendations provided in the 2009 CPG go unchanged. CPGs are not meant to be stand-alone documents, but rather serve as a point of reference and educational tool for both primary care physicians and orthopaedic surgeons. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-aaos-clinical-guideline-osteoarthritis-knee.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:37:51 EST news289582663 Knee replacement surgery is a very common procedure. However, it does not always resolve function or pain in all the recipients of new knees. A study by Robert Barrack, MD and his colleagues from the Washington University School of Medicine wanted to determine if any socioeconomic factors were associated with less successful outcomes of knee replacement surgery. Their study, which appears in Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, published by Springer, found that lower-income individuals reported higher levels of dissatisfaction and poorer function than those with higher incomes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-people-higher-incomes-happier-knees.html Other Tue, 21 May 2013 11:50:36 EST news288355827 German chemical and pharmaceutical company Bayer AG said Thursday that its net profit rose 11.5 percent in the first quarter as new drugs, led by blood thinner Xarelto, boosted sales. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-bayer-profits-percent-drugs.html Medications Thu, 25 Apr 2013 04:57:05 EST news286084619 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 Patients with diabetes who undergo total knee replacement surgery do not have increased risk of surgical complications compared to those patients without diabetes, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published today in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-diabetes-total-knee-surgical-complications.html Surgery Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:09:07 EST news281275741 Patients who undergo knee replacement surgery may be at risk of gaining more weight than their peers who have not had the surgery, according to a five-year study led by a Virginia Commonwealth University professor. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-knee-surgery-weight-gain.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:15:56 EST news277402501 European regulators have approved a crucial new anticlotting drug, Eliquis, for preventing strokes and dangerous clots in the circulatory system. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-bristol-pfizer-anticlot-drug-key-eu.html Medications Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:39:37 EST news272651965 After total knee replacement (TKR) surgery, patients who are morbidly obese have similar pain and function outcomes as patients who do not fall into this weight category, according to a new study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery. The finding is surprising given that numerous studies have shown that obese patients have worse outcomes. The study will be reported at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals, to be held Nov. 9-14, in Washington D.C. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-overturns-common-assumption-knee-morbidly.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Sun, 11 Nov 2012 08:25:41 EST news271844685 Patients who make $35,000 a year or less report better outcomes after knee replacement surgery than people who earn more, research by Mayo Clinic and the University of Alabama at Birmingham shows. The lower-income patients studied reported less pain and better knee function at their two-year checkups than wealthier people did. The study was being presented at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting in Washington. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-lower-income-patients-fare-wealthier-knee.html Surgery Sat, 10 Nov 2012 16:30:03 EST news271662858 Obese patients have a greater risk of complications following total knee replacement surgery, including post-surgical infections, according to a new literature review recently published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS). Because of complications, obese patients are more likely to require follow-up surgery (revision). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-knee-easy-solution-obese-patients.html Overweight and Obesity Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:10:02 EST news270305759 (AP)—Advisers to European Union regulators have recommended approval of a new anti-clotting drug for use by adults with a common irregular heart rhythm that boosts risk of strokes or blood clots, drugmakers Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Pfizer Inc. said. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-anti-clot-drug-eu.html Medications Fri, 21 Sep 2012 13:09:06 EST news267451731 The clot-inhibiting drug apixaban (trade name: Eliquis) was approved in May 2011 for the prevention of thrombosis (blood clots) after operations to replace a hip or knee joint. In an early benefit assessment pursuant to the "Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products" (AMNOG), the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) examined the added benefit of apixaban. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-proof-added-benefit-apixaban-hip.html Medications Mon, 17 Sep 2012 10:53:40 EST news267098004 The researchers base their findings on 90 patients with knee osteoarthritis, who were referred for group acupuncture to two knee pain clinics in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in 2008 and subsequently monitored for two years. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-acupuncture-alternative-knee-surgery-osteoarthritis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 20 Aug 2012 18:30:01 EST news264694259 Roughly 3 percent of patients who undergo total hip and knee replacement surgery require critical care services before they are discharged from the hospital, according to an analysis of roughly half a million patients. The study, published online in advance of print in the July issue of the journal Anesthesiology, demonstrates that these elective surgeries are placing an increasing burden on the critical care services of the health care system and hospitals should respond proactively. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-popularity-hip-knee-surgery-extra.html Surgery Tue, 05 Jun 2012 10:21:45 EST news258110451 (HealthDay) -- A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Monday will weigh the wisdom of allowing new clinical trials of a class of powerful painkillers for osteoarthritis. The drugs may have worked so well for some patients that those patients wound up needing knee replacement surgery because they overworked their already damaged joints. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-fda-panel-chance-class-painkillers.html Medications Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:40:01 EST news250778922 (Medical Xpress) -- Oxford University experts have called for better monitoring of knee replacement surgery to improve outcomes for patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-knee.html Surgery Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:20:17 EST news250330810 Researchers at the Rothman Institute at Jefferson have shown that local anesthesia delivered through a catheter in the joint, intraarticularly, may be more beneficial than traditional opioids such as morphine and Oxycontin for pain management following total knee replacement surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-benefits-local-anesthesia-knee-surgery.html Surgery Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:50:01 EST news248073760 Researchers in Finland found that annual cumulative incidences of partial and total knee arthroplasty, commonly known as knee replacement surgery, rose rapidly over a 27-year period among 30 to 59 year-olds in that country, with the greatest increase occurring in patients aged 50 to 59 years. According to the study published today in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), incidences were higher in women throughout the study period. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-knee-surgery-incidence-soars-age.html Surgery Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:28:40 EST news246004107 People who take bisphosphonates after joint replacement surgery are less likely to need a repeat operation, finds a new study published in the British Medical Journal today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-common-bone-drug-life-joints.html Medications Wed, 07 Dec 2011 04:50:01 EST news242454254 Patients who are dependent on opioids (narcotic pain relievers) for pain management before knee replacement surgery have much more difficulty recovering, a study recently published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) has found. These patients tend to have longer hospital stays, more post-surgical pain, a higher rate of complications, and are more likely to need additional procedures, than patients who are not opioid-dependent. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-pain-meds.html Other Fri, 11 Nov 2011 13:10:53 EST news240235049 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 Racial minorities have reduced access to high-quality joint replacement care, according to Dr. Xueya Cai and colleagues from the University of Iowa in the US. Their work, published online in Springer's journal Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, shows that African American patients are more likely than Caucasians to receive total knee arthroplasty (or replacement surgery) in low-quality hospitals. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-dictate-quality.html Other Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:29:29 EST news235124953 When tennis star Serena Williams underwent emergency treatment for a pulmonary embolism earlier this year, the world's attention was drawn to this often fatal medical condition which, although surprisingly not uncommon, is unfamiliar to most men and women. A common risk factor associated with clot development is surgery; particularly hip and knee replacement surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-joint-surgery-blood-clot-formation.html Other Wed, 27 Jul 2011 10:44:39 EST news230982258 A new study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery has identified patients who are at a higher risk of morbidity and mortality when undergoing knee replacement surgery in both legs at the same time. The study found that patients who have a history of significant medical problems, especially congestive heart failure or pulmonary hypertension, are at increased risk for major complications. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-patients-bilateral-knee-surgery.html Other Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:58:01 EST news229856262 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