Knee Prosthesis, Home in 24 Hours
It can take just 24 hours for a new knee. Discharge after surgery – we are talking about patients who have undergone surgery to receive a unicompartmental prosthesis – can in fact take place in complete safety and with full effectiveness even in just one day. To the benefit of the patient, who can return home early and start physiotherapy as soon as possible, and of the health systems, which can thus save resources, write the researchers of the IRCCS Ospedale Galeazzi – Sant’Ambrogio in Milan (among the structures of excellence for the‘knee orthopedics) on the pages of Knee Surgery Sports Traumatology Arthroscopy.
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Discharges in 24 and 72 hours compared
The publication, in particular, certifies that a super-fast arthroplasty protocol is equally effective to the more classic three-day protocol. To demonstrate this, researchers led by Stephen Petrillo And Sergio Romagnoli of the Orthopedic Unit – Prosthetic Surgery Center, compared the results of the surgery performed within 24 hours, or within the 72-hour fast track program (the hours indicate the length of hospitalization).
To compare the effectiveness of the different protocols, the experts used different tests to measure the degree of acceptance of the prosthesis by the operated people (or, better, the ability to forget about it, through the Forgotten joint score), the perceived pain and the mobility and stability of the knee. The analyses conducted showed that there are essentially no differences between the two protocols, even after a year, neither in terms of efficiency nor complications.
We are talking about patients who are immediately back on track after surgery: walking on crutches a few hours after the operation and climbing stairs the next day, thanks to a type of minimally invasive surgery that does not affect the tendons and reduces blood loss, Galeazzi adds.
The extra-rapid protocol is effective
Compared to the rapid protocol, surgery and discharge within 24 hours is indicated for those who are particularly motivated and have home care, the experts point out. Although, they conclude, studies on larger samples will be needed to demonstrate what was observed in this research, which involved a limited number of patients. Although experiences conducted elsewhere increasingly confirm that, with careful preoperative planning, an adequate system of checks and rehabilitation in the follow-up and multidisciplinary management of the patient, prosthetic interventions are becoming increasingly light for patients.
Hip and knee prosthesis, a model to increase the success of interventions
by Anna Lisa Bonfranceschi
