65 year old woman from Iraq fell while walking 2 years back and broke her right thigh bone

Patient underwent TKR twice in Iraq – both the surgeries failed 

During second surgery, a gap in the thigh area was filled with bone cement

After few months, the cement got damaged leading to the knee getting collapsed

Brought to Max Hospital last month  

On evaluation, it was found that the bone cement was floating inside the knee 

Regular knee replacement was not an option for such a case 

Complex form of TKR carried out on 13/08/2019 for both the knees in a 3-part plan

Doctors at Max Hospital, Gurgaon recently gifted an Iraqi woman the ability to walk normally again. Ms. Sharifa, 65, became a victim of an unfortunate fall incident in 2017 while she was walking.  This accident turned out to be extremely fatal for her and caused her right thigh bone to break just above the knee. As a result, Ms. Sharifa couldn’t walk at all and was in immense pain. Subsequently, she reached out to her nearest healthcare facilities and was advised a plating surgery, however, the surgery was unsuccessful. She was still hopeful and went ahead with another operation in Iraq only. While, this surgery also was not successful, it backfired her in form of a set of complications. 

During her second surgery, the team of doctors identified a gap in her thigh bone area which they further filled in with ‘Bone Cement’ – artificial, self-curing material used to fill up a cavity or to create a mechanical fixation. Unfortunately, this solution held her knee in place for only couple of months after which her knee collapsed completely. After her second surgery failed the pt did not put weight on the right knee for almost 15 months.  Following this incident, she was brought to Max Hospital, Gurgaon last month. On detailed evaluation through CT scan and other tests, it was found that the bone cement was floating above the knee, making her case, even more complicated than ever. 

Due to this complexity, a regular knee replacement surgery was not a viable option. Therefore, the team of doctors at Max Hospital discussed the case in detail and decided to perform the elaborate TKR surgery in three major segments:

1. First, the team of doctors separated the whole cemented area upto 10cm above the damaged knee jointline in order to perform the surgery and further fix the implant. 
2. In the second phase of the procedure, the patient received Distal Femur Replacement, the equipment used for construction of the knee bone till the joint. 
3. Owing to the constant body weight put on the left knee since past few months, it became arthritic. Therefore, in the same sitting, the other knee was also replaced. 

The 3 hour surgery was successfully carried out on 13/08/2019 at Max Hospital, Gurgaon.

Speaking about the multifaceted case, Dr. JBS Jaggi, Associate Director, Orthopaedics, Max Hospital, Gurgaon says, “Ms. Sharifa’s case is one of the most difficult and complex cases that I have witnessed in my 20 years of profession. On arriving at our centre, the patient was in a state of extreme pain and discomfort. Given the previous failed operations and her age, this case was a challenge for us. The surgery required meticulous dissection and was very hard as all the blood vessels and nerves had to be protected which were lying behind the knee. Not only there was minimal blood loss during the surgery, the patient started walking on the 2^nd day of the surgery itself. While, this case was complicated, Ms. Sharifa’s positive outlook and my well-equipped team made the surgery a success.”

The patient was not required to follow any strict set of precautionary steps post-surgery and is doing well. She’s still in India for few more follow up visits for checkup and is thrilled to travel back home healthy and on HER OWN FEET!