Is Outpatient Knee Replacement for You? Know Who Benefits
Treatment TermsKnee replacement surgery
Author
Shawn Lake
Overview
Duke orthopaedic surgeons now offer some people who need knee replacement surgery the option to go home a few hours after the procedure. According to Michael Bolognesi, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon at Duke who specializes in hip and knee replacement, the experience has been “overwhelmingly positive.”
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Who Needs Knee Replacement Surgery?
ContentMore than 600,000 knee replacement surgeries are performed each year, making it one of the most the most common orthopaedic surgeries in the U.S. The procedure relieves pain from osteoarthritis, which occurs when the protective cartilage in the knee breaks down with age or overuse. As a result, the bones rub together which can eventually damage the knee joint.Traditional knee replacement includes a hospital stay of up to three days. In recent years, surgeons found that some people do well without the hospitalization, thanks to new medicines that control bleeding, better pain management techniques, and physical therapy, which gets people up and walking soon after the surgery.
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Am I a Candidate for Outpatient Knee Replacement?
ContentDr. Michael Bolognesi said several factors determine who may benefit from outpatient knee replacement surgery. The most important criteria is that that the person is in overall good health. Age is less of a factor. “Someone in their 70s with n...
Source: dukehealth.org: Duke Health News - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: dg62 at duke.edu Source Type: news
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