Surgical Solutions

Improved quality of life for patients requiring hip and knee surgery:

At CHHM, refining minimally invasive hip and knee surgery, replacement techniques and technology are important research goals. The combination of new implant designs and innovative surgical techniques for joint replacement can minimize complications and markedly reduce hospital length of stay and resource utilization, key factors in reducing wait times for patients.

Minimally Invasive Surgery for the Hip and Knee

CHHM surgeons are leading developers of minimally invasive techniques for total hip and knee replacement. Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) techniques reduce the incision size required for conventional joint replacement. MIS patients recover faster, spend less time in hospital, experience less pain and reduced muscle damage and generally have much better outcomes. However, before MIS techniques are widely adopted, there are a number of questions that must be answered regarding the choice of technique and the related clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. At this time there is still a paucity of evidence in the orthopaedic literature to serve as a guide.

Research led by CHHM investigators is underway to assess the clinical and cost effectiveness of different surgical techniques for hip and knee replacement.

Please click on the links below to find out more details about this research.

A comparison of the clinical effectiveness and the cost effectiveness of the MIS anterolateral approach (MIS Watson Jones, G3) versus anterolateral or posterolateral mini approaches in primary total hip arthroplasty: A prospective multi-centre randomized controlled trial.

Femoral head resurfacing versus a large femoral head (Durom ) Total Hip System: A prospective randomized trial.

Minimally Invasive total knee arthroplasty versus a standard surgical technique: A single-blinded single-centre randomized controlled trial.

Design of New Implants

In addition to leading the way in surgical innovations, CHHM investigators are also world authorities in the design and development of implants. Future hip implant designs include pharmaceutical modifications and the inclusion of ortho-biologics to accelerate fracture healing, reverse osteoporosis and further reduce the risk of infection, as well as the use of novel structural materials such as tantalum.

For example, CHHM researchers are incorporating bisphosphonate, a potent drug for inhibiting bone resorption, into the structure of metallic orthopedic implants. This new concept of delivering bisphosphonate, once proved effective, could be employed in orthopedic and dental implants in the near future; resulting in reduced health care costs and dramatic improvements in the quality of life of numerous Canadians.

Please click on the link below to find out more details about this research.

Calcium bisphosphonate-containing composite coating on porous tantalum to enhance bone ingrowth and prevent bone resorption.