http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Preventing further complications in patients who develop infections after surgery to replace a knee or hip could save the U.S. healthcare system as much as $65 million annually, according to an analysis presented today at the 39th Annual Educational Conference and International Meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-rehospitalizations-surgical-site-infections-.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 04 Jun 2012 00:20:02 EST news257925881 (HealthDay) -- After at least 10 years of follow-up, total knee replacement using a second-generation, cemented, rotating-platform, posterior-stabilized total knee prosthesis offers excellent and durable clinical and radiologic results in active patients, according to a study published in the April 4 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-benefit-rotating-platform-knee-arthroplasty.html Surgery Wed, 25 Apr 2012 04:41:07 EST news254547651 An anecdotal observation of a possible link between sleep apnea and post-surgical delirium has been measured and confirmed by a team of researchers at the Duke University Medical Center. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-apnea-patients-delirium-surgery.html Sleep apnea Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:37:54 EST news252074248 (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 Knee replacement is amongst the most common surgical procedures in developed countries, with over 650 000 total knee replacements (TKR) performed in the USA in 2008 alone, at a cost of more than $10 billion. Yet there is very little or no evidence of the safety or cost-effectiveness for many of the numerous types of implants on the market. Furthermore, a lack of reliable information comparing patient-reported outcomes with different implants and surgical techniques is preventing surgeons from achieving the best outcomes for patients, according to a Seminar published Online First in The Lancet. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-evidence-long-term-safety-effectiveness-millions.html Surgery Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:30:01 EST news250174734 (AP) -- It happened to nurse Jane Byron years after an in-line skating fall, business owner Haralee Weintraub while doing "men's" push-ups, and avid cyclist Gene Wilberg while lifting a heavy box. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-boomers-beware-doctor.html Health Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:30:48 EST news248268569 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 New research presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) found that more than 4.5 million Americans are living with a total knee replacement (TKR), as the number of TKR surgeries has more than doubled over the past decade, with the sharpest rise among younger patients. Osteoarthritis continues to be the primary reason for TKR. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-million-americans-total-knee.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:22:22 EST news248073735 No previous research has quantified and compared the costs and outcomes between total knee replacement (TKR) patients who have differing lengths of hospital stay following surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-shorter-hospital-knee-linked-greater.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:41:05 EST news248024458 Poor emotional health and morbid obesity are associated with less functional gain following total knee replacement (TKR) surgery. In the new study, "Can Telephone Support During Post-TKR Rehabilitation Improve Post-op Function: A Randomized Controlled Trial," presented today at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), approximately 180 patients were categorized by gender, body mass index (BMI) and emotional health. Each patient randomly received either emotional telephone support by a trained behavioral specialist, or standard patient care. Telephone support included three phone calls before surgery, one in-person hospital visit, and eight weekly post-operative calls. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-surgical-outcome-knee.html Other Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:00:03 EST news247854792 Following a total joint replacement, anticoagulation (blood thinning) drugs can prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot deep within the extremities, or a pulmonary embolism (PE), a complication that causes a blood clot to move to the lungs. However, prolonged use of these therapies may increase the risk of hemorrhage and infection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-aspirin-dvt-pe-joint-patients.html Other Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:50:02 EST news247854776 New research presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) highlights the benefits of total knee replacement (TKR) in elderly patients with osteoarthritis, including a lower probability of heart failure and mortality. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-knee-patient-mortality-heart-failure.html Arthritis & Rheumatism Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:58:48 EST news247834718 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 Orthopaedic surgeons face a steep learning curve to get used to new prostheses, and the instruments and methods that go with them, before new total knee replacement procedures are as safe and effective as conventional methods. Patients who undergo the first 15 operations using a new device in a hospital are 48 percent more likely to need early revision surgery, than patients undergoing an operation to fit a prosthesis previously used in the hospital. The work by Mikko Peltola from the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland, and colleagues, is published online in Springer's journal, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-patients-knee-joint-complications-technology.html Other Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:25:23 EST news243080715 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 Undergoing a knee replacement involves sophisticated medical equipment, but innovative prosthetic design may not offer the same benefits for all knee replacement recipients, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a perspective article in the October 20 issue of New England Journal of Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-size-knee-medical-devices.html Other Thu, 20 Oct 2011 01:48:55 EST news238294019 Research which claims to show that the introduction of patient choice in the NHS reduced deaths from heart attacks is flawed and misleading, according to a report published in The Lancet today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-uk-patient-choice-health-based.html Health Sun, 09 Oct 2011 19:00:01 EST news237383297 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