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General Joint Surgery Information
"I Saw That on the Internet"
— Research and New Procedures at TCJR
Research is an integral part of our practice at TCJR. It is
important because we want to bring you the best of the orthopaedic
world, and by participating in studies, we get a first look
at new procedures and materials. Many of you have been asked
to participate in studies related to your surgery. Others of
you participate anonymously when we write scientific article
describing the results of all of one type of knee implant or
surgical technique in a particular type of hip surgery. We appreciate
your participation in these projects.
When we have the results of such studies we are often asked
whether we will switch to the new product. That is a difficult
question. In joint replacement it takes years to properly assess
how well a technique or product works, because the goal is always
to have the surgery last for a lifetime. So unless a new product
clearly solves a known issue with our existing protocol, we
may not be willing to switch right away.
For example, a new blood thinner may become available after
we have completed a study on it. The drug company would like
to have us use their drug in place of what we now use. But our
current plan gives us a lower rate of blood clots than the national
average. Do we change our protocol? Maybe. What is more likely
is that we use the new drug in cases that we think will work
best with that drug, because of the patient's health or history.
Then we re-evaluate frequently to see if the results are consistent
with our existing results. Research is not over when the drug
company says they are finished with a study.
We get calls daily asking about new implants or new surgical
techniques that patients want to know more about. Our physicians
and staff attend many meetings each year and hear from other
surgeons how well the new methods work. We are happy to give
you our opinion on them. We may or may not do the exact procedure
that you read about or saw on TV, but we often have a solution
for the problem that the procedure is trying to solve. Ask your
surgeon for more information about our approach. We have always
been on the cutting edge of orthopaedic surgery techniques.
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