Apollo Hospitals, Chennai has successfully performed Tamil Nadu’s Fast Track Total Knee Replacement surgery on a 66-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with severe Grade 4 Osteoarthritis of Knee Joint with associated deformity. Dr. Madhan Thiruvengada, Senior Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai and his team successfully completed this first-of-its-kind procedure and were able to mobilise the patient within 3 hours of surgery.
Mrs. Subhalakshmi, a 66-year-old female from Mumbai, had severe pain in her knees and difficulty in walking for a few years. Due to the COVID pandemic, she was hesitant to visit the hospital and take immediate medical advice for her condition. She managed her pain until it became a hindrance in performing her day-to-day activities. Due to age and excessive exertion, the cartilage in her knee joints had completely worn away and become rough, reducing the protective space between the bones. Prolonged negligence resulted in friction between the joint bones, producing painful bone spurs which added further complication to her knee, hampering her mobility.
After consulting doctors in Mumbai who suggested Total Knee Replacement with a minimum hospital stay of eight to ten days, Ms. Shanti visited Apollo Hospitals, Chennai for her surgery. After a thorough risk assessment Dr. Madhan Thiruvengada and his team planned the day-care fast track Total Knee Replacement procedure for the patient’s speedy recovery. Normally for a major surgery like Total Knee Replacement, patient stays in the hospital for 4-5 days for continuous monitoring and rehabilitation. But in this case Dr. Madhan took a multimodal approach, using a unique surgical technique, evidence based treatment and optimized logistics. Mrs. Subhalakshmi underwent Total Knee Replacement on 12th January 2021 at Apollo Hospitals, OMR, Perungudi and was able to walk within 3 hours post the surgery with crutches and climb steps within 16 hours post-surgery.
Speaking during the press conference Ms. Suneeta Reddy, Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group said, “Leveraging technology and innovation to improve care delivery is best accomplished at Apollo Hospitals. We have strived to make quality healthcare accessible to people who are seeking better quality of life. Dr. Madhan Thiruvengada and his team has done a novel procedure on the patient that has helped her in mobilising on her own. Apollo Institute of Orthopaedics has developed more sophisticated techniques and uses increasingly precise tools that can allow patients to go home the same day as their surgery.”
Dr. Madhan Thiruvengada, Senior Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai said, “Total Knee Replacement or TKR is the only available solution for end stage severe arthritis of the knees, but people don’t have enough awareness and they keep postponing the surgery or treatment. A much needed surgery if done at the appropriate stage of the disease will have a better outcome. All through the procedure the focus was on minimizing the blood loss and the surgical stress, enhancing the post-operative recovery and early mobilisation”
He added, “Postponing a surgery will only aggravate the issue, causing more inconvenience to the patients. A delayed knee surgery will not only add more inconvenience but also will not bring the desired positive result post-surgery. Many people are still ignorant when it comes to Total Knee Replacement. Medical procedures are so advanced nowadays and with timely intervention, we can bring the expected result.”
Patient was successfully discharged within 24 hours with all the post-operative precautionary protocols under the direct supervision of Dr. Madhan Thiruvengada. She was delighted with the outcome and the quality of care provided, and had her other knee replaced too, using the similar technique.
