Dr Kirk Kindsfater Presents Knee Replacement Surgery Research at International Physician Meeting
For Immediate Release: October 31, 2011
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Dr. Kirk Kindsfater Presents Knee Replacement Surgery
Research Results at International Physician Meeting
At a recent international meeting of orthopaedic surgeons, Dr. Kirk Kindsfater of the
The International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty held its 24th Annual Congress in
Arthroplasty is the medical term for an operation on an arthritic or injured joint, such as the knee, in which the surgeon replaces or remodels the jointМ_s surface. In a total knee replacement, the surgeon typically inserts three metal or plastic implants to replace damaged bone surfaces of the kneecap and the thigh and lower leg bones.
The societyМ_s annual meeting attracts about 500 orthopaedic surgeons from around the world, and features presentations by noted physicians and bioengineers.
Dr. Kindsfater also presented the results of research studies during talks at this annual meeting in 2009 in
МВI enjoy the information exchange with foreign physicians,МЁ Dr. Kindsfater said. МВThey face many different challenges than surgeons in the
His talk at the Congress this September presented the results of his research into a technique he has developed that has the potential for improving knee replacement surgery. For various reasons, some patients have a follow-up operation several years after their original total knee surgery. These operations are referred to as МВrevisions.МЁ Dr. Kindsfater has used a small, triangular-shaped, titanium alloy sleeve that improves bone growth around the implants in these revision surgeries.
Dr. Kindsfater performs surgery to help more than 1,000 people a year who come to him for total joint replacement. He said he performs about 800 knee replacements a year. In his other specialty, total hip replacement, Dr. Kindsfater performs around 400 surgeries annually.
Of those operations, about 100 to 150 are for patients who need a revision surgery for their knees or hips, he said.
МВThe goal with joint replacements is to give patients significant pain relief and the freedom to resume activities that their damaged joint was preventing them from doing and enjoying,МЁ he remarked.
Dr. Kindsfater performs hip and knee replacements in the operating rooms at the
He has routinely kept research information on hip and knee replacement patients since 1998, tracking how the surgeries and implants have worked.
His research database also allows him to study different techniques and technologies, and share the information with other doctors. He has given educational talks at orthopaedic forums in
Medical research typically finds that physicians who perform a large number of surgeries provide a benefit to patients because the surgeons have developed highly proficient skills and efficient systems of care.
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