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Posts Tagged ‘Knee Prosthesis’

What major problem dentures have?

The prosthesis is a rigid device embedded in a hard tissue but alive, which is the bone. Therefore, the interaction between them when the knee moves or rests eventually will cause a loosening. Moreover, the polyethylene tibial component is decaying, leading to instability of the knee, which in turn makes it more touching and overload the rest of the prosthesis. It’s a vicious circle. In addition, wear particles interact with the bone material causing its destruction, exacerbating loosening.

Adding all these factors, today the effective period of a knee prosthesis is measured in 10-15 years. In young people is inevitable. In the elderly life expectancy can be concluded before it is loose enough to cause problems. Loosening may not cause symptoms initially, but ends up causing disabling pain. Read the rest of this entry »

Tibial piece is separated from the femur. Is rare. Much more common is the instability, insufficiency of the ligaments of the knee and wear of the prosthesis makes the fitting of the components may occur and abnormal movements.

Deep vein thrombosis

involves the formation of clots in deep veins of the legs (although prophylaxis may appear). The risk is that thrombi are dislodged and migrate as the “rams” into the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism.

Fat embolism or by cement

by drilling the bone to implant the prosthesis can be formed small fat emboli from bone marrow (the “marrow” of the bone), which will go to the lung. In the cemented prosthesis cement can also embolize. Read the rest of this entry »

What complications the knee replacement have?

The infection of the prosthesis (in 100 operated one or two develop it)

- When given in the first days or weeks is usually caused by a germ that enters the wound from the air or the skin (it is impossible to completely sterilize them, despite the operating room under aseptic conditions).

- When it appears later due to some distant source of infection. Most often, urine or cavities.

- The most common treatment of the infected prosthesis removal is in the hole leaving a mold called antibiotic cement spacer, treatment with antibiotics for months (part time will be administered intravenously in the neck to prevent phlebitis in arms) and when the infection is considered eradicated implanted prosthesis rescue. Until then the patient can walk with crutches but without supporting the tip. In some cases surgery may be recommended cleaning only when leaving the prosthesis if the antibiotic can eliminate the infection. Read the rest of this entry »

When it is not advisable to implement a knee?

The contraindication is the clearest infection: microbes nestle in any foreign body. Usually only be eradicated if the material is removed. In the case of a prosthesis is a tragedy for both the patient and the surgeon, the problems arising both treatment of the aftermath. The infection is seen not only in the knee. Any body part that this infection may send their germs through the blood to the prosthesis. The infection typically goes unnoticed is that which affects the teeth: a decayed tooth is a source of infection but not hurt or swell.

In turn, the infected prosthesis or nest serves as a reservoir of germs that can migrate at any time by the blood and cause a severe infection with consequences that can even be fatal. Therefore infection must be cured first, and then implanting the prosthesis. The problem is that there is never 100% security is not infected. Read the rest of this entry »

When shown the implantation of a knee replacement?

When treatment with medication, physiotherapy or previous operations fail to improve a state of severe pain or disability, caused by lesions of the knee joint:

- Gonarthrosis (osteoarthritis of the knee)

- Rheumatoid arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis, etc.).

- Femoral condyle necrosis (loss of vitality of the bone)

- Tumors of the knee

What type of prosthesis best for each patient?

The dentures

Replace all three compartments and quoted for their serious injuries, usually involving one knee with inability to stretch fully and instability of the ligaments. Read the rest of this entry »

What is a knee replacement?

A prosthesis is a device that is implanted to perform a particular function that the body has lost or done very defective.

The knee joint is a triple lace bones: the two bumps at the lower end of the femur, called condyles, engage with respective concave surfaces of the tibia, called tibial plateau. Moreover, the patella engages with both femoral condyles.

We therefore have the tibiofemoral joint, medial compartment divided (on the inside of the knee) and lateral compartment (on the outside of the knee) and patellofemoral compartment or joint.

The knee prosthesis replacing one, two or three compartments.

What materials does it compose of?

Used metal alloys and polyethylene. At present, only these materials the most suitable strength, durability and performance to the efforts suffer once implanted in the human body. Read the rest of this entry »