Knee replacement revision procedures on the rise, research shows

A Harvard study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that while there is a growing rate of knee replacements among seniors, the rates of complications for these patients is rising as well.

The study followed 3.3 million Medicare patients aged 65 and older between 1991 and 2010, finding that the amount of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) increased 162 percent from 93,230 to 243,802 in the United States.

The cost of revisions
One of the noted problems with this situation is that knee surgeries are expensive, costing upwards of $15,000 each. When considering a 59 percent increase in revision procedures found during the 19-year study period (from 3.2 to 5.1 per 10,000 patients), the impact could spell a significant cost for Medicare.

According to the study, one reason for the increase in revision surgeries may be that the guidelines governing who might benefit from knee replacement surgery are expanding, allowing for a larger population of individuals to be considered - some of whom should not have been, the study concluded.

Rising comorbidities
Another noted factor was an increase in obesity, which predisposes patients to osteoarthritis and other bone problems. Patients suffering from osteoarthritis can buy Celebrex from Canadian and international online pharmacies, which often offer lower prices on medications for conditions such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.

Hospital stays for knee replacements are decreasing however, from an average of eight days in 1991 to four days in 2010. According to the study, surgeons who perform the bulk of these procedures often do fewer than 12 a year. At the same time, infection rates following surgery increased from 1.4 to 3 percent during the course of the study.

According to research published in Rheumatology, joint injuries as a young adult are some of the primary causes for knee replacement surgeries later in life. Meniscal injuries during middle age were also cited as common causes, along with musculoskeletal deconditioning as a result of aging.

Patients with arthritis can take saline baths to help reduce pain, according to Pablo Pelegrin, MD, author of a recent study on pain-relieving treatments for arthritis. His 2010 study, published in the journal Immunity, found no side effects of the treatment, which also had anti-inflammatory effects.