New knee replacement results in less pain and faster recovery

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William Richeimer, MD, an orthopedic surgeon on the Backus Medical Staff, has been doing joint replacement surgeries for more than 30 years, and said the new OtisKnee replacement system is a promising new procedure.

"I've seen a lot of advances over the years and this looks to be one of the major advances in total knee surgery," he said.

With the new OtisKnee procedure, an MRI is taken of the patient's knee and that is electronically sent to the company, which then creates a model of the knee. The size and placement of the implant is fit to the particular patient, so the surgery can be done accurately and quickly.

Dr. Richeimer said in the past, multiple trays of tools and more incisions might be necessary to fit the implant precisely in the knee. With this system, a specialized tray of tools is used, and specialized software tells the exact rotation and angle of the cuts for the patient and the implant. Therefore, less bone is cut and ligaments are spared, preserving the feel of a more natural knee and resulting in less pain and a quicker recovery period.

Dr. Richeimer said Ammar Anbari, MD and Daniel Glenney, MD, will also be using this technology. Total knee replacement is a very common procedure, with more than 500,000 of these surgeries done each year in the U.S. Mary Orsini, RN, who has worked at Backus since 1975, was the first patient to have this new procedure in October.

"I did some online research. Dr. Richeimer told me about the procedure and he encouraged me to look it up and investigate it," she said. "I am excited to be a pioneer for Backus."

She attended the Total Care Program for patients undergoing joint replacement and also went to the Heal Faster Program.

"As a nurse I know your success rate depends on your motivation to do exercises, but I do anticipate full use of my knee eventually," Ms. Orsini said.

If you want to go

See the latest advances in surgical technology at Backus Hospital, including the da Vinci surgical robot and OtisKnee replacement procedures.

  • What: Operating Room Open House
  • When: Sunday, Nov. 23, 12-3 p.m.
  • Where: Backus Hospital conference rooms 1, 2, and 3 as well as Same Day Surgery area