Service for the investigation of failed lower limb arthroplasties

Project leader

Dr Tom Joyce

Dates

November 2010 to August 2011

Project staff

Dr Susan Scholes

Mr Martin Bone

Sponsors

EPSRC Knowledge Transfer Award

Partners

Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne

Description

In the UK, has approximately 140,000 primary and 10,000 revision hip and knee replacement procedures performed per year.

A primary joint replacement may cost £6-8K. The revision procedure excluding prolonged in-patient hospital stay may cost up to £25K.

The cost of revision knee procedures to the UK are of the order of £250 million per year. Moreover, the social burden of such surgery in an increasingly frail and older population will continue to increase. There is also renewed trauma for the patient.

The project investigated the following aspects of failed lower limb arthroplasties:

• Analysing the tissue retrieved with the implant
• Measuring the surface roughness of the metallic femoral components
• Determining the wear regimes which have affected the prosthesis during its time in vivo

The key output will be a forensic report related to each artificial joint, delivered within a set timescale.

The project envisaged that this will become part of the routine evaluation process for all revision procedures. It allows for surveillance of new and existing technology.

It submitted the report to the clinician revising the device. The project contributed to an ever growing library of retrieval data. It is accessible to anyone concerned with joint replacement.

The project highlighted positive features of artificial joint designs. Researchers shared these features with device manufacturers to improve all designs.

Society benefits from superior joint replacements. It enables patients to have an increased duration of pain-free, independent motion. It allows them to contribute to, and feel part of, society.