TKR Take Two

[Jewlz1]

So a fresh post for the right knee replacement I'm scheduled for on 6/9/2021. I had my LTKR done 12/18/2019. I like the new orthopedic surgeon. Pretty straight forward and to the point which seems typical for this physician specialty He uses Zimmer knees and my LTKR is a Smith & Nephew Journey II. Is having a different manufacturer for each knee a detriment?

 

[Celle]

Is having a different manufacturer for each knee a detriment?

No, not at all. There really isn't a great deal of difference between one brand and another.
The most important factor or success is still the skill of your surgeon. Most surgeons tend to choose a brand with which they are familiar and have had success.

 

[kneeper]

I have different brands too. Good results with both. As Celle said, it was just my surgeon's preference.

 

[Jewlz1]

Is having a different manufacturer for each knee a detriment?

No, not at all. There really isn't a great deal of difference between one brand and another.
The most important factor or success is still the skill of your surgeon. Most surgeons tend to choose a brand with which they are familiar and have had success.

This is good to know Celle about different manufacturers for each knee. Thanks!

The new Dr. I consulted with stated that he has done over 10k TKR's, and he is also the Medical Director in the Orthopedics Department at the facility where I will be having surgery. He came highly recommended to me years ago from a friend, who also happens to be his sister. It didn't seem right at that time (2015ish). I scheduled with this doctor last week not realizing it was her brother until I saw the spelling of the last name. So I feel much better this time around but I felt good with the LTKR. Reminding myself this is a different doctor, different facility, and a different knee.

 

[Celle]

Even with the same person, same doctor, same implant, the recovery can be very different. That's why we advise people not to compare their surgeries.

 

[Jewlz1]

That's really hard to do!

 

[Jewlz1]

I have vacuum disc phenomena at L4-5 and L5-S1. My surgeons office is aware and when I have my pre-op appointment I will discuss with the anesthesiologist. My OS likes to use spinal anesthesia and it seems vacuum disc phenomena may prevent that. Does anyone else have vacuum disc phenomena?

 

[Jaycey]

I had spinal decompression L3/4. During my pre-op for LTHR the junior anaesthetist said I would not be able to have a spinal. But on the day the more senior anaesthetist said a spinal would not be a problem as it was give at a high point in the spine.

Discuss your concerns at your pre-op. Many surgeons still use general anaesthetic if a spinal isn't possible so please don't worry.

 

[Jewlz1]

I've been researching the knee my OS will be using for my surgery in a little less than a month. He uses the Zimmer Persona which thru my research I read this knee was recalled as recent as 2018. How do recalls for medical devices/implants work? It's unsettling for me. Can one of the admins chime in on this? Thank you!

 

[Jaycey]

@Jewlz1 The Zimmer recall is very old news and refers to an older version of the implant. The Zimmer-Biomet Persona is a very popular implant, used by many surgeons with great success.

Believe me, it is in your surgeon's best interest to use the implant that best meets your needs. Surgeons would not touch anything that has been reported as having problems.

Best to stay way from google during your run up to your surgery day. It can cause more worry than good.

 

[Jewlz1]

Thanks for the reassurance and advice on keeping away from Google.

 

[Jockette]

Google is not totally bad, it’s probably the way most of us found Bonesmart.

 

[Jewlz1]

Surgery is in 2 days, on 6/9. I've got all the usual pre major surgery jitters going on and ready for Wednesday to get here!

 

[Jockette]

Best wishes!!!

 

[Jewlz1]

4 days post op today. I will start posting in the knee post op forum.