With thousands of knee replacement surgeries being performed across the country annually, experts claim that about 10 per cent require revision surgeries due to various factors like infection, and loosening.
In view of the need for Revision Total Knee Replacement (RTKR), the Apollo Hospitals has entered into an understanding with Heiko Graichen, Medical Director of Asklepios, Orthopaedic Clinic Lindenlohe, Germany.
As per the agreement, Indian surgeons will get a chance to be trained in Germany and Prof. Heiko Graichen will also visit Apollo Hyderabad, twice a year, to operate and teach surgeons on revision knee arthroplasty.
Young surgeons from Indian will also get a one-month fellowship at his centre to learn about primary knee arthroplasty.
The details of the partnership were announced at a press conference here on Saturday. Prof. Heiko Graichen said that the cases needing RTKR were extremely complex in India in comparison to those in Europe and hoped that the collaboration would help in building the skill sets to address the same.
K.J. Reddy, Senior Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals, said India would have largest number of Osteoarthritis patients in the world by 2017.
The primary total knee replacement could survive on an average for 20 years. In India, the primary cause for needing RTKR was infection during the primary total knee replacement, due to which patients need to undergo RTKR within six months to one year, he added.
Enters into an agreement with Orthopaedic Clinic Lindenlohe, Germany
