Both hips, knee joints replaced in single surgery, minister lauds feat

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya hailed the doctors for providing free treatment to the patient who was unable to walk because of pain in her joints. He said the surgery was “first of its kind in Odisha and only the second such surgery reportedly globally”.

“It is sad but many patients with rheumatoid or other inflammatory arthritis reach doctors only after their joints have been damaged. There are many who need replacements of all four joints and the team has operated on several such cases. Usually we are unable to replace all four joints in one surgery,” said Dr Sujit Kumar Tripathy, additional professor in the department of orthopaedics at the hospital.

He said he has operated on around 60 patients in need of quadruple joint replacement, which has helped him plan the procedure in a way that reduces the replacement time for each joint. “I must also thank the anaesthesia team because they were able to keep her stable for the entire duration of the surgery and we were able to replace all four joints.”

Dr Tripathy said usually only one or two joints are replaced at a time. “The patients who come in this condition cannot get up or walk even after the replacement of one or two joints. All four have to be replaced before they can be mobilised. This means they have to stay in bed in the hospital for nearly two months. The extended stay may lead to the patients getting several infections, including infection of the newly replaced joints,” said Dr Tripathy.

In contrast, the current patient remained in ICU for only two days and started walking on day three after surgery. She was discharged after she started walking with a walker on day seven.

Replacing all joints in one surgery can help in reducing the hospital stay and thereby these complications. “Younger people with any joint pain and stiffness, especially early in the morning, should go to a doctor because rheumatoid and other inflammatory arthritis can happen in 20s and 30s. These people can be given medicines to delay the damage to the joints. Some of the new medicines are very effective and can delay the damage by two to three decades,” said Dr Tripathy.