Unilateral Knee Replacement Treatment in India

Symptoms for Detecting Knee Replacement

Typically it is understood that age and gender is a factor in the consideration for deciding on a knee replacement. But it is not a correct understanding, generally the only reason for surgical replacement depends on the degree of severity and disability. While knee replacement surgery is mostly recommended for older people, but even a teenager,  an young adult or a middle aged person may need to undergo knee replacement if there is excessive wear and tear of the knee joint.

This surgery is mostly recommended due to the following reasons or indications:

• Severe knee pain and stiffness
• Continuous Pain
• Chronic Knee inflammation and swelling
• Chronic Knee deformity
• Failure of Medical treatments
• Depression

Medical Test  and diagnosis for Knee Replacement

Before the Knee Replacement procedure a complete physical examination plus  several diagnostic tests including blood test will be done.

• Prior to the surgery the doctor should be informed of the complete medical history (such as hemophilia, blood pressure, diabetes, and pregnancy) of the patient. Also if the patient has taken any medications (including aspirin) or has any drug allergy, it should be informed.
• The patient is advised to stop smoking for as long as possible prior to the surgical procedure.

Treatment Procedure for Knee Replacement

The key outcome of knee arthroplasty is to provide relief from pain caused by severe arthritis. Depending on the extent of damage of the knee there are two types of knee replacement surgery that are performed:

• Total Knee Replacement
• Partial Knee Replacement

The Knee Replacement Procedure

• The Knee replacement surgery or knee arthoplasty will last up to 2-3 hours. The damaged portions of the knee will be replaced by implants made of metal alloys, strong plastic parts or ceramic materials. A cemented prosthesis(an artificial body part) is the most common type of the artificial knee replacement. A cemented prosthesis attaches to the bone with surgical cement.
• The surgery procedure can begin with the starting of an intravenous (IV) line  in your arm or hand & also a urinary catheter can be inserted.
• The skin over the surgical site will be cleansed with an antiseptic solution.
• The anesthesia given could be spinal anesthesia or general anesthesia. In spinal anesthesia the patient will not feel anything below the waist while in general anesthesia the patient will be asleep during the surgery.
• The surgeon will start the operation by making an incision  in the knee area.
• The surgeon will then remove the damaged surfaces of the knee joint and resurface the knee joint with the artificial parts or prosthesis
• Prosthesis is mostly comprised of 3 components: the tibial component (to resurface the top of the tibia, or shin bone), the femoral [thigh bone] component (to resurface the end of the thighbone and the patellar component (to resurface the bottom of the kneecap that rubs against the thighbone).
• Incision will be closed with stitches or surgical staples & a drain may be placed in the incision site to remove fluid.
• A sterile bandage or dressing will be applied.

After the Knee Replacement procedure

After the surgery, patient is kept in the recovery room for few hours. Patient will be hospitalised for 4-6 days. Mostly people recover within 12 months after the surgery, but the recovery time will differ depending on the age and overall health.

Read More:

• Must Know About Knee Replacement Surgery
• About Knee Replacement Implants

Factors Affecting the Cost of Knee Replacement Treatment 

Following are the factors which will affect the treatment cost:

• The hospital chosen by the patient.
• Kind of Room taken and number of nights. There are different prices for standard single room, deluxe room or a super deluxe room. This could also include nursing fee, meals, room rate and room service
• Operating room and ICU charges
• Fee for the team of doctors (Surgeons ,Anesthesist ,Physiotherapist ,Dietician )
• Medicines
• Standard test and diagnostic procedures
• Whether the surgery is for single knee or both knee
• Implant being used
• Cost of the follow–up care required after the procedure