“While you’re down there, Doc…” A new study out of the University of California-Davis suggests that getting both knees replaced at the same time might be more effective then having separate procedures, although it might also kill you too.
The study, conducted by UC-Davis’ Dr. John Meehan looked at 11,445 patients who underwent simultaneous knee replacements and 23,715 patients who had both knees replaced several months apart. Patients who underwent simultaneous surgeries had a higher risk of heart attack and pulmonary embolism, but a lower risk of major joint infection or “major mechanical malfunction.”
Risk of death was found to be statistically equivalent for both cohorts.
“Our study found that the risk of developing a serious joint infection that required an additional knee revision surgery was two times higher in patients who had staged knee replacements compared to the patients who had both knees replaced at the same time (2.2 percent after staged knee replacements and 1.2 percent after bilateral knee replacements),” Meehan said in a prepared statement.
In other AAOS news:
Zimmer (NYSE:ZHM) touted its FDA clearance for the TM-S Trabecular Metal Cervical Interbody Fusion Device and said its MotionLoc screws were looking good in clinical trials.
Smith & Nephew plc (NYSE:SNN) got a reimbursement win in Japan for its Oxinium material for hip replacement implants and launched a newlaunched a new mini hip replacement called the Short Modular Femoral (SMF) Hip System.
