Bhubaneswar, January 27, 2021: Eswar Ch Mohanty, 92, from Odisha, has earned the distinction of being the oldest patient in Eastern India to receive a knee replacement surgery at AMRI Hospitals Bhubaneswar. “Mr. Mohanty was very afraid of going under the knife and has been avoiding it since long. Finally, on Monday, he agreed to get the procedure done and had his knee replaced successfully at AMRI Hospitals,” said Dr. Basant Behera, Senior Consultant, Orthopaedics & Joint Replacement Surgeon. “The patient had no health issues, except severe pain and bad deformity in both his knees. He was unable to walk without support. He does not have usual age-related health issues like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems and obesity. There are generally misconceptions that patients above a certain age are too old to undergo major surgeries. I have operated many patients above the age of 80 with good clinical outcomes,” he added.
Generally a 92-year-old patient has been considered to be at a higher risk of morbidity, post-operative complications, and longer hospital stay, following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) but Mr Mohanty’s, however, is a totally different case. Knee replacement procedure has undergone a lot of technological changes and has gone hi-tech these days with advancement in newer surgical techniques, geriatric anaesthesia, and painless nerve block, lesser blood loss, less tissues injury, surgery in these elderly patients is possible.
“The patient requires multi specialist backups, proficient anaesthesia and first-rate ICU set up to take care and AMRI Hospitals already has these facilities. After two months the patient will undergo another knee replacement procedure,” said Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pradhan Sr. Anaesthesist, AMRI Hospitals Bhubaneswar. “Age is not a bar or hurdle for knee replacement surgery now. Mr. Mohanty is a good example for other elderly patients, who are afraid of surgery because of age issues.” Said Mr. Rupak Barua, Group CEO, AMRI Hospitals.
“Arthritis burden in India is increasing with increase in life expectancy of people. Healthy food, healthy lifestyle, regular exercise, and timely consultation with your Orthopaedic doctor is the key to prevent arthritis. This remarkable surgery will set an example for those who wish to undergo knee replacement at old age,” Ms. Nilanjana Mukherjee, AVP Operations & Administration, Unit In-charge, AMRI Hospitals Bhubaneswar.
Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is an effective surgical intervention, which alleviates pain and improves function and health-related quality of life in patients with late-stage arthritis of the knee joint. With improvements in anesthesia, general health care, and surgical techniques, this procedure has become widely accepted for use in very elderly patients, including those above the age of 80.
