A TEAM of healthcare experts from Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC) has recently marked a breakthrough when it performed a Total Knee Replacement (TKR) surgery made available as a day care service, recording the first successful TKR procedure of this nature in Malaysia.
This revolutionary procedure enables patients to walk home on the day of their TKR surgery. Coupled with a complete rehabilitation programme from hospital to home, patients are able to recover and return to their daily lives quicker than before.
The TKR procedure is commonly performed on patients with degenerated knees due to medical conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or post-traumatic arthritis as a result of an injury.
During such circumstances, a TKR surgery is performed to resurface the knee by replacing it with an artificial joint.
Given the complexity of the procedure, conventional TKR surgery requires hospitalisation for three to five days.
However, the revolutionary day care service allows for reduced recovery time in hospital and contributes to greater savings for patients that fulfil the stringent selection criteria for discharge on the day of surgery.
The breakthrough in day care TKR does not only eliminate the need for hospital stay but also allows patients to recover and regain their quality of lives in the comfort of their own homes.
The first case of day care TKR in Malaysia was performed on a 59-year-old patient in November 2021 by a team of experienced medical professionals from SJMC. The patient sought treatment from SJMC for her severe knee osteoarthritis.
“Certainly, our success stems from two decades of careful technical improvements and adaptations to improve the overall patient experience while lowering complication rates and improving longevity of the implants,” said SJMC consultant orthopaedic surgeon Datuk Dr Siva Kumar Ariaretnam.
“A great deal of care and technical expertise is employed to ensure that pain is reduced to allow rapid recovery and return to function after surgery.
“This is made possible by using a muscle-sparing approach into the knee and includes a superior wound-closure technique which I developed and am particularly passionate about.”
The wound-closure technique, said Dr Siva, is flexible enough to allow full knee flexion or bending immediately after surgery and robust enough not to result in wound dehiscence or breakdown after surgery.
“This is then balanced with a novel intra-articular injection for effective pain management for the surgical procedure as well as post-surgery,” he noted.
“Precise identification of the needed pain relief is critical in pain management. Another important factor is the management of bleeding and blood loss, to ensure that patients may return home without further bleeding from the wound.”
The procedure is followed by a complete rehabilitation programme alongside specialised physiotherapy sessions offered through SJMC’s in-house home-care nursing service, Home Connect Service, to ensure that patients receive the highest quality of care while recovering at home. – April 11, 2022
