Patients expects good long-term solutions for artificial hip system: Report

In response to the news that DePuy Orthopaedics, the manufacturer of an artificial hip system, issued a recall of its ASR product line after data indicated a higher than expected need for device replacement surgery five years after the initial procedure, Dr. Eugene S. Krauss, chairman of the Department of Orthopedics and director of the Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Institute at Glen Cove Hospital, a member of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, states:

"This news should not alarm anyone who has had their joint replacement performed at The Center for Joint Replacements at Glen Cove Hospital, Southside Hospital, or Peconic Bay Medical Center, as we are not using any of these components. A properly positioned hip or knee replacement, done well, in a true center of excellence, by surgeons who are highly experienced, can last many decades. High tech implants are predominantly modular, and therefore replacing worn out bearings can be a relatively simple procedure.

"Today's technology offers remarkably durable, long-term solutions, and if a hospital insists on using the very best technology, patients can anticipate many years of success.

"Patients are looking for good long-term solutions: It is far more cost effective to have your surgery performed by a highly skilled team using the best implants available in America. Do it once. Do it well...and allow the patient to return to an active and long life."

Dr. Krauss continues, "If you want the best outcome, three factors must be in place: 1. A highly experienced surgeon who is part of a comprehensive joint program. 2. A surgeon associated with a Health System that enables him to use the highest quality implants made in America. 3. A post-operative Rehab program with therapists who will place the patient back on the road to recovery. The most successful outcomes are achieved by combining the best surgical team, a comprehensive rehabilitation program, and a motivated patient. We look for patients who 'have places to go and things to do' and want to get back to enjoying life."

Dr. Krauss, who has personally performed over 10,000 joint replacements, will be celebrating patients' successful return to mobility at the Road to Mobility Gala to be held at the Pratt Pavilion for Rehabilitation & Healing at the Glengariff Healthcare Center in Glen Cove, Long Island on September 14, 2010. Guests will have the opportunity to see video footage and hear Dr. Krauss recount the remarkable impact The Krauss Foundation for Health & Humanity has had on the less fortunate across the globe.

SOURCE The Krauss Center for Joint Replacement