Treatment for Arthroplasties, Replacement, Knee

This national survey demonstrates a need for standardization of coding for procedures and implants used to treat osteoarthritis of the knee, with codes that have the necessary detail to identify the procedure and implant but still are concise, so that operative risk is not negatively affected by too much text.

Knee replacements are an effective and long-term treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee. The patient's age, prior symptoms, activity level, the quality of life and a patient's perception of the prostheses all affect outcome. The overall satisfaction with the prostheses is higher than is typically reported in the literature, irrespective of patient expectations. Patients may require revision to correct problems with function and pain for many years to come. In a recent study, findings of revisions show the value of selecting the revision technique that best suits the patient. For all patients, the quality of life and function will change after the operation.

The current literature does not support the idea that arthroscopic, arthroplasty, and resurfacing can be cured in either short term or long term. There are some exceptions to the cure theory.

The US prevalence of primary TKR in 2015 is 15.9 persons per 100,000. While the number has remained fairly stable between 2006 and 2015 (17.7 per 100,000), the rate has increased 20% from 2014 to 2015. The average pre‑hospital transfer time decreased from 1.6 days to 1.4 days between 2006 and 2015. Because these data suggest an unmet need for primary TKR, strategies to increase capacity should be developed.

There are many methods used to treat TKR, and the choice depends primarily on the type of prosthesis and soft tissue quality available. There is a paucity of research supporting current treatments; thus, further research needs to be conducted as to which type of surgical technique yields the most functional product in conjunction with the most satisfying quality of life.

There were no signs associated with knee replacement in the 2 weeks that followed surgery. However, there was a small increase in pain on the knee which led to knee movements in the early post-operative period. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings with larger numbers of patients and a longer follow-up period.

The authors found no evidence of a significant effect of treatment using some other treatments; however, they did find a significant effect of treatment using some medications for depression and osteoarthrosis.

We can safely say that arthroplasties and resurfacing procedures of the knee are procedures with a low rate of reintervention to replace the implant, so far no complications.

This is a preliminary study, and no conclusions can be drawn yet. Nevertheless, it should help patients, families, and those willing to become a part of this field to make an informed decision regarding the best treatment options for their problem, and the impact of their disease on their future quality of life.

A treatment usually treats the symptoms of a disease such as pain or fatigue; the treatment itself is sometimes used only to prevent further symptoms from occurring or to address or modify a condition.

Although several new drugs are in development for arthroplasties, replacement of the knee with either metal-on-metal or metal-on-polyethylene total-knee resurfacing has now become a standard of care which may affect the future clinical practice of arthroplasties.