COIMBATORE 2007: A 95-year-old woman, Lakshmi Devi, has undergone a knee replacement surgery and this has prompted the hospital where she underwent the procedure to stake claim for a place in the Limca Book of World Records.

Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon G. Balasubramanian at Sri Ramakrishna Hospital, where the surgery had been done, claims that total knee replacement in a 95- year-old person may be a rare achievement.

Lakshmi Devi, a resident of Coimbatore, was suffering from painful knee for the past few years. The pain became so severe recently that she could hardly take a few steps. She lost sleep and life became increasingly miserable for her at this age.

Finally, she consulted Dr. Balasubramanian and opted for a knee replacement surgery. The surgeon said the surgery was successful and that the patient started walking in two days after the procedure was done. She returned home in a week.

Dr. Balasubramanian says that because of increasing life expectancy and the changes in lifestyle, thousands of people are suffering from arthritis in the knee.

Though knee replacement is very successful in terms of relief from pain and the restoration of mobility, patients are reluctant to undergo surgery at an early stage.

They come for surgery only at a very late stage when the knees are bent and bow-shaped.

They should be encouraged to undergo surgery at an earlier stage so that they do not have to suffer for years. The deterioration into a bow shape can also be prevented.

The doctor says there is reluctance to undergo surgery once such people cross 60 years of age. “This woman is an example that knee replacement can be done even for people who are 100-years-old. The anaesthesia and surgical techniques are much developed now and therefore safe,” he says.

Dr. G. Balasubramanian
Sri Ramakrishna Hospital
395, Sarojini Naidu road,
Coimbatore,
India
E-mail: [email protected]
Hip Resurfacing Center Website