Benefits of Minimally Invasive Knee Resurfacing Surgery (MIKRS) for Knee Treatment

When pain killers, injections and physiotherapy fail to manage knee pains, orthopaedic surgeons usually recommend total knee replacement (TKR) surgery. However, patients staring at the prospect of undergoing TKR due to osteoarthritis, now have the option to postpone the surgery for a decade.

The implant effectively replaces the worn-out cartilage, which is the tissue that cushions the two bones in the knee joint. Due to wear and tear, the cartilage beaks down, causing bones to rub against each other. The rubbing causes severe pain and swelling, making it impossible for patients to walk. At this stage, doctors recommend total knee replacement.

A relatively new procedure, minimally invasive knee resurfacing surgery (MIKRS), promises better management of failed knees. MIKRS involves inserting a chromium-cobalt implant in between the knee joints after making a 5-7 cm incision.

“Instead of total knee replacement, patients now have the option of minimally invasive surgery. We conducted a surgery on a 45-year-old woman Lakshmi Devi, and she has recovered well. This surgery will be a great alternative for total knee replacement,” said Dr. Prabhat Lakkireddi, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals. He added that total knee replacement involves a lot of bone cutting, use of bone cement, blood loss and a significant post-operative recovery time. However, patients opting for MIKRS need not face the above factors, he said.

“Several international studies have indicated that the implant will last for 10 years. This surgery will cost patients between Rs. 1 and 1.2 lakh, while total knee replacement will cost over Rs. 2 lakh. The patient can be discharged in a day or two,” Dr. Prabhat said.

First Microchip Pills of World

World's first microchip pill has been introduced and approved by FDA.

The microchip is a normal digital chip made up of silicon with traces of magnesium and copper and is no bigger than the size of a normal medicine. Once the microchip is ingested, it gets activated by the digestive fluids of stomach and starts generating electric signals. These signals are received by a battery operated patch on the patient’s skin which forwards the medical information to a mobile app on patient’s consent. The battery operated patch has a life of seven days and in the mean duration; it is responsible for receiving all the inner-body conditions from the microchip.

The conditions such as heart rate, temperature, body position are tracked and then forwarded to the clinicians (via mobile app) so that the patient can be medicated accordingly. Currently the device has been approved to be used with placebo pills so as to test it’s safety and working. If the procedure turns out to be successful and safe, microchips will be soon integrated with medication. This chip will help to analyze Heart Diseases also.

Now, get your ECG reports on iPhone

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