Apollo Hospitals Perform Revolutionary Minimally Invasive Knee Replacement (Resurfacement) Surgery

HYDERABAD, India, January 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Apollo Health City today announced the performing of a revolutionary Minimally Invasive Knee Replacement (Resurface) Surgery (MIKRS) using OrthoGlide Medial Knee system. This surgery was successfully performed for the first time in Andhra Pradesh by a team of orthopedic surgeons led by Dr. Prabhat Lakkireddi, Consultant Keyhole and Minimally Invasive Orthopedic Surgeon. The team performed a bilateral (on both the knees) OrthoGlide knee surgery for the first time in India.  

The most common cause of knee pain is Arthritis where the joint lining called cartilage is damaged due to wear and tear causing inflammation and pain. In India, 50% of the general population develops arthritis during their lifetime and is the second largest ailment after diabetes.

OrthoGlide, a metallic, wedge-shaped device is a novel implant that replaces worn cartilage inside the knee. It offers patients a less invasive alternative to total knee replacement. This device is inserted into the knee through a 5 to 7 cm incision, which relieves pressure, restores proper joint alignment, redistribute the load more evenly and increases stability.

The surgery using OrthoGlide knee implant was performed on a 45-year-old lady with severe pain in both the knees for the past 3 years. The path breaking surgery took under an hour for each knee leaving all the joint bones naturally and virtually untouched with almost no blood loss, no bone loss and no cement. After the surgery, the patient had minimal pain and started walking the following day.

"This surgery promises a less expensive and easy path of regaining normal life style functions, it definitely offers a new ray of hope to active and young patients who are worried about major surgery and prolonged post-op rehabilitation to deal with Knee Arthritis," says Dr. Prabhat Lakkireddi, who was trained in London for 10 years and recently joined Apollo Health City.

The major advantages of this surgery over standard Total Knee Replacement includes its affordable cost and early rehabilitation which helps patients to return to their normal routine and life style expeditiously. It allows patients to squat and sit cross-legged, an important part of our daily lives in our Indian Culture, which is not possible with the conventional knee replacement surgery. Above all, OrthoGlide allows delay of total knee replacement until patients are older and less likely to require a second knee replacement.

As against a Total Knee Replacement, Minimally Invasive Knee Replacement (Resurface) Surgery involves 2 inches incision, no cutting of the natural bone, the joint is left intact, no cutting of the muscle therefore no bleeding, less painful, low infection, less complications, fast recovery, can walk the same day, the surgery can be performed as a day care surgery, therefore doesn't require hospitalization and cost would range between Rs 1.1 - 1.2 lakhs, which would come down further with mass utilization of the device. This surgery has the approval of the FDA. The Total Knee Replacement is a major surgery involving an incision of 6-8 inches, around half a liter blood loss, bone cutting which means usage of bone cement, high risk of infection, hospitalization of 5 to 10 days and long period of rehabilitation.

This surgery can be opted after conservative oral medical treatments fail. 'MIKRS' offers a cost effective treatment for early and moderate arthritis of the knee joint at virtually half the cost of Total Knee Replacements - which is considered to be the last option for the disease in advance stages with badly degenerated joints.

About Apollo Hospitals

In 1983, Dr Prathap C Reddy, the architect of Indian healthcare, launched the first corporate hospital in India, Apollo Hospitals Chennai. Over the years, Apollo Hospitals Group has grown to become one of Asia's largest integrated healthcare organizations with over 8,500 beds across 50 hospitals, more than 1350 pharmacies and over 100 diagnostic clinics. The Group also offers medical business process outsourcing services, health insurance services and clinical research divisions with a focus on epidemiological studies, stem cell research and genetic research. To develop talent for the burgeoning need of superior healthcare delivery, Apollo Hospitals Group has 11 nursing and hospital management colleges. These achievements have earned Apollo Hospitals Group several accolades, including the Centre of Excellence from the Government of India and recognition from the Joint Commission International (seven of our hospitals are JCI accredited).

In a rare honour, the Government of India issued a commemorative stamp in recognition of Apollo's contribution, the first for a healthcare organization. Apollo Hospitals Chairman, Dr Prathap C Reddy, was conferred with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan, in 2010.  Apollo Hospitals Group, for over 28 years, has continuously excelled and maintained leadership in medical innovation, world-class clinical services and cutting-edge technology.  Our hospitals are consistently ranked amongst the best hospitals globally for advanced medical services and research.

For more information, please visit: www.apollohospitals.com

Primary Media Contact: Parul Chabbra, parul_c@apollohospitals.com, 91-9810588410

Secondary Media Contact: Kusum Sahijpal, kusum_s@apollohospitals.com, 91-9999973090