Jun 18, 2009 7:08 pm US/Eastern
Knee Replacements Not Just For Elderly Anymore
CBS 2's Dr. Max Gomez Tweets Live From Knee Replacement Surgery
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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New technologies have made knee replacements less invasive, and have made the procedure a possibility for younger patients who were previously discouraged from getting it done at a young age. (File)
CBS
Mary Kiefer's kids have taken to calling their limping mother "Hopalong Cassidy."
Her arthritic knee makes noise when she walks and hurts so bad she's had to give up the things she loves.
"Golfing, bowling, gardening is tough," Kiefer tells CBS 2's Dr. Max Gomez. "Just going to the mall, it's too much to walk the mall."
She even had to sell her colonial style house and move into a ranch style home because she couldn't walk up and down the stairs with her bad knee. She wanted a knee replacement, but her doctors told her she was too young and that she should wait as long as she possibly could.
But Dr. Steven Hass says that's outdated advice.
"The life span of the implants, even though [they] were done many years ago, is much longer, 90 percent lasted over 20 years," Dr. Hass says. "In addition, we're using newer technologies, ceramic components, and better plastics, so we think the implants will last much longer than those put in years ago."
So now, younger patients can have knee replacements, which is exactly what Kiefer got on Wednesday.
Dr. Hass helped pioneer a minimally invasive approach to knee replacement that doesn't cut muscle or tendons, which makes recovery much faster. But it's more than just the younger patients who've benefited. Other developments have allowed patients in their 80s and even 90s to have knee replacements safely.
"It's primarily the anesthetic management, and we can monitor more closely and handle the issues that come up with older patients," says Dr. Haas.
In addition to Kiefer's surgery, CBS 2's Dr. Gomez used social media network Twitter to tweet the procedure live from the operating room as modern medicine met social media. Dr. Gomez described what was happening and explained the various aspects of knee replacement surgery.
But the bottom line is what the surgery will do for Kiefer.
"Just getting back to enjoying my life," Kiefer says. "I've already joined a gym so that I can work out and get back to things I love to do."
Less than 24 hours after her knee replacement, the nurses had Kiefer up and walking on Thursday. After three days, she'll go home and start home physical therapy for a few weeks, followed by outpatient therapy three times a week for several months.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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