Is it in the bone or the muscle?

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It's either sent for investigations (rarely) or these days, the femoral heads are sent to the Bone Bank where they are processed and reissued to hospitals for use as bone grafting in much the same manner as blood.

Cool, Jo. More hospitals ought to tell people about the good that could be done by donating their bones and bone parts! I had no idea....
 
There's a box for the femur preparation, one for the tibial and patella and two others with all the trials, femoral and tibial. That plus about four basic trays and not forgetting your BSc Engineering to know how to fit all the bits together and in what order to give them to the surgeon!

Sounds like a giant erector set!!! Talking about building a new knee!!!
 
Oh, don't you have that in the US? It's routine here in the UK. Surgeons consider every THR for suitability to donate and then have them sign release forms giving permission for the bone to be used. There's a very strict protocol for their collection, storage and processing as well.
 
Mechano ain't in it! Said we needed a BSc Eng!
 
Hmmmm.....maybe not. I really don't know if it's available or not. I do know I was not asked about donating my parts. It will be a while before I see my surgeon again, but if I can remember, I'll ask.
 
Wow!!! Thanks for such a detailed answer Jo.

I really hope the cysts are in the part of the bone that is being removed.
It's only 2 1/2 days to showtime! I hope they give me enough sedative so I don't have to know any more. During the angiogram I looked at the doctor wide-eyed as he was about to jab me with that huge catheter......and screamed!
The anesthesiologist must have been sleeping on the job.....I didn't fall asleep until right after the stabbing!

My only complaint about hospital staff (no matter which hospital you go to) is that they carry on personal conversations very loudly as if the patient is not in the room. What if the patient doesn't want to know about the nurses love life or the anesthesiologist's inlaws? The patient has no choice but to listen, and it feels like being disregarded as a person........like you are a table lamp to them, not a person. Not to be ungrateful, but just had to vent as the anxiety builds.
 
It's either sent for investigations (rarely) or these days, the femoral heads are sent to the Bone Bank where they are processed and reissued to hospitals for use as bone grafts in much the same manner as blood.

Mine was sent off to pathology to try and get a definitive diagnosis of what actually caused my osteo-arthritis. "Reactive" arthritis as a follow on from Crohn's Disease is not that common apparently. They had already aspirated synovial fluid from both joints (long before the op) which pointed in that direction, but my OS, being as thorough as he is!, wanted the pathology testing as well!

Peta
 
Absolutely wonderful to use the bones for research, certainly shouldn't be returned to a person! Unethical!
 
Not eaxctly research, Judles - just regular investigations.
 
Absolutely wonderful to use the bones for research, certainly shouldn't be returned to a person! Unethical!

Oh, I don't know, Judles.....my parts will always be my parts, I think. When I was about 12 and had my tonsils out, I asked for them and even provided a baby food jar to the doctor to put them in. He did and I kept them in my room for years. They were the funniest looking things!!! My grandfather was an old country doctor and I guess I got some of those "medical" genes from him. I used to dissect all types of bugs and critters when I was young. Probably should have gone on to med school.....oh well....
 
Jamie those tonsils must have been quite a conservation piece.
I know my bone was sent to a pathology lab as well. Then who knows. Right after the surgery I thought i should have tried to get them saved for me in case I found myself needing any more spinal fusion.
Of course I did, but there is part of the spine that is removed and ground up and mixed with something and put back in. How technical is that???

I got a flyer in the mail about dealing with lower back pain. A discussion night is set up this wed at my the hospital where I have had my surgeries. My spine doc is leading it. I am very excited. This is the area I originally went to see him about.
I am gettting on his calendar for more epidural steroid injections for my lumbar spine. He said he will also do some nerve blocks in my intercostal area . He knows which ones are really bad as he was just in there!!!!
Judy
 
I don't know what happened to my cut out bones, but we sign a section in our addmission form that gives permission for our bones to go to the bone bank.

Chris :)
 
OK, Judy,,,,what is in the intercostal area? I think that means my vacation in Florida is up,,,,I thought you wrote "intercoastal!"
Your spine doc sounds wonderful! I'm so happy you found someone so skilled to help you! :)
 
That sounds terrific, Judy! Hope it lives up to expectations!

btw - bone can't be used if it's gone to the hospital lab. Laboratory specimens are unsterile and placed in preservative. Donor bones are dealt with under the utmost sterile conditions being double potted and placed immediately in a box of dry ice or a freezer. Some samples of the patient's bone are placed in seperate pots and the anesthetist takes blood samples which are sen to the Bone Bank's lab for checking for disease and/or infection during the 6 months the donor bone is kept in quarantine. Once passed, the bone is denaturised (don't know the process used in that but it removes all the soft tissue) and then sterilized when it is finally ready to be released to the hospitals.
 
Jo,,,,,what's going to happen to your knee, after it is studied,,,,,would you want to keep it! I'm sure you "know all the right people!!!":). LOL!
 
Thanks Jo
Judles
The intercostal area is between the thoracic spine and the front up to the sternum following the ribs. Jo can correct me. Anyway during my surgery my doc noticed severe intercostal neuritis, an imflammation of the nerves in that area. I do sometimes get horrendous pain from my back to the front feeling liked a heart attack. lots of rib pain as well.


I will definatly go to the intercostal waterway. There is a restuarant I have seen that people in Georgia havea gone to . Actually I think more to drink. It is on the intercoastal waterway in Stuart (maybe). My mom is not a restaurant type , or go out and have a drink type, but I will now have my son at 23 and his girlfriend that can go with me.

Judy
 
Jamie those tonsils must have been quite a conservation piece.

I got a flyer in the mail about dealing with lower back pain. A discussion night is set up this wed at my the hospital where I have had my surgeries. My spine doc is leading it. I am very excited. This is the area I originally went to see him about.
Judy

Yep, Judy.....I grossed out many a kid with that jar.

Your meeting sounds wonderful and I hope it is a benefit for you. Heaven knows you deserve some relief after all you've been through.
 
Well let me know when you go out for a drink! I will toast to your good health,Judy! :)
 
there is part of the spine that is removed and ground up and mixed with something and put back in. How technical is that???

OK, Judy,,,,what is in the intercostal area? I think that means my vacation in Florida is up,,,,I thought you wrote "intercoastal!"

It's a rib they take and grind up. The spaces between the ribs are called the intercostal spaces. The little muscles that hold the ribs together are called intercostal muscles - that's the meat Doug likes to cook on his BBQ!

Incidentally, since I've been on an educational trip tonight, I might add that we have a big metal gadget called a bone mill and it's just like a big version of a meat grinder we use (or used to use) in the kitchen! I hated using it as it took the strength of Samson to turn it!


Jo,,,,,what's going to happen to your knee, after it is studied,,,,,would you want to keep it! I'm sure you "know all the right people!!!":). LOL!

I'm taking my camera in with me and asking Shaun if he'll takes some photos for me. I want pictures of the femoral condyles and tibial plateau so I can see their condition, of the implants in place just before he sews up, of my knee at maximum flexion after closure and of me in recovery at some stage! I have a feeling he might refuse though. Don't know why.

And as for the 'products' of surgery, our Health and Safety Commission have forbidden the release of
hardware (bone plates and such) and tissues to the patients. The first because staff don't have the facilities to sterilize them and the second because they cannot be sterilized anyway.
 
Good thing I LOVE all of you! My stomach is turning over with all this technical stuff!!!! :)
 
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