All you need to know about a replacement prosthesis

Unfortunately, prostheses that are placed on the joints do not last a lifetime; whether hip, knee or shoulder prosthesis. Despite advances in manufacturing and improvement of the materials used, experts in Traumatology estimate that after 15 or 20 years of being implanted prostheses must be changed. Why? Because friction areas of the implants degrade and generate small particles that slowly dissolve the bone that supports the prosthesis. In these cases, the implants must be replaced.

Causes of prosthesis infection

The skin of humans colonized by bacteria is. During surgery it is possible that one of these bacteria reach contact with the prosthesis. Bacteria are able to engage very solid metal (adhesion) form and multiply forming biofilms. To avoid this situation, preoperatively to patients antibiotics administered intravenously and the skin is decontaminated with antiseptics. Nevertheless, it is estimated that 1% of all surgeries can be infected prosthesis.

Complications of prosthetic replacement surgery

When a surgeon operates a replacement prosthesis faces three major problems that do not appear in a first prosthesis surgery.

• Remove the prosthesis. In many cases it can be very anchored in the bone
• Solving bone loss
• Balance the soft tissues (ligaments and tendons)

Currently, it has a modular prosthetic implants arsenal that are assembled in the same surgical procedure, which allows to solve these problems.

Care after replacement prosthesis

The replacement prosthesis is a complex surgical situation, but postoperative usually not very different from what is done after primary surgery. Moreover, in many cases, being more constrained prosthesis, ie, that do not require the patient to operate ligaments, patients once they sense a high security operated leg. This facilitates the recovery period.