Dr.
Knox Performs Breakthrough Procedure at BRMC
BRMC Viewpoint Spring 2008
Orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Tom Knox recently
used a state-of-the-art knee replacement procedure
at Baxter Regional Medical Center in the first surgery
of its kind to be performed in northern Arkansas and
southern Missouri. Baxter Regional Medical Center is
only the third Arkansas hospital to offer this breakthrough
procedure that custom-fits the knee prosthesis to the
patient.
Rudy Darling was one of the first BRMC
patients to receive the Custom Fit Knee™ replacement
with OtisKnee™. An old football injury left Darling
in need of total replacement of his left knee.
Using the traditional method, the surgeon “measures” for
the replacement once he opens up the knee, choosing from
a selection of sizes on hand in the operating room. To
aid in alignment, the traditional surgery requires drilling
a rod into the femur or thighbone. With the Custom Fit
Knee replacement, the measuring is done well before surgery
using magnetic resonance imaging. The MRI technicians
at BRMC are specially trained and certified to take these
measurements.
Using these precise measurements and images,
OtisMed Corporation provides not only an implant specifically
for the patient, but also cutting guides – accurate
to within millimeters – to show the surgeon exactly
where to make bone cuts so the knee replacement is customized
for the individual patient.
This technique makes the surgery itself
less invasive and much faster. In fact, it can be finished
in about 40 minutes, approximately half the time of traditional
surgery. The custom fit results in less pain, shorter
rehabilitation time and less wear on the prosthesis.
Knox hopes these knees will last the rest of the patient’s
life.
The day after his surgery, Darling was
walking. The day after that, he was climbing stairs.
The next day, he went home. "I’m doing very
well," Darling said. "I’m going through
physical therapy now, and I’m further along than
I expected to be."
More information about the replacement
procedure and Custom Fit Knee are available at otismed.com.
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