Thiraviam Orthopaedic Hospital

26/07/2017

Dr.Selvakumar

24/10/2012

Da Vinci robot heart surgery at New Cross Hospital
Surgeons have carried out the first ever robotic open-heart operations in Britain at the New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton.

The Da Vinci robot is remotely controlled by surgeons who are given a high definition view of the heart through a sophisticated camera.

Natalie Jones, of Stourbridge, 22, was the first patient to have the procedure to have a hole in her heart repaired.

Doctors claim the operation is safer for patients than conventional surgery.

Normal heart surgery involves cutting open the breast plate, but the robotic arms are inserted by making cuts between the patient's ribs.

A surgeon is given a 3D, high-definition view of the heart and can move the arms using a control panel.

Each time they move their hand 3mm, the robot arm moves just 1mm

08/06/2012

The British Society for Surgery of the Hand

BSSH is the information and education body for Hand Surgery in the UK. BSSH strives to improve the care of patients who suffer from hand injuries and hand disorders through education and research, and by promoting and directing the development of Hand Surgery.

British Society for Surgery of the Hand

08/06/2012

http://orthopaedicprinciples.blogspot.in/

01/06/2012

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are at increased risk for fractures, particularly those related to falls, a study shows.

The highest risk was for hip fracture, being elevated fourfold in patients with MS, relative to controls, after accounting for confounders. The risk was raised a significant 4.61-fold for fractures related to falls and a nonsignificant 2.76-fold for those not linked to falls.

"Fracture risk assessment may be indicated in patients with MS," Frank de Vries (Utrecht University, the Netherlands) and colleagues remark in Neurology.

The researchers obtained records from a Dutch database system on 2415 MS patients, and matched each by age, gender, and primary practice to up to six controls without MS. This yielded an overall fracture rate of 2.4% among MS patients and 1.8% among controls.

Besides the increased hip fracture risk, the risk for rib fracture was also significantly elevated, 3.79-fold, although this was based on a rib fracture rate of just 0.2%. The risk for fracture of vertebrae, the humerus, pelvis, and radius/ulna was not increased in MS patients.

These analyses were adjusted for confounders including age, gender, and medication use. However, medications were also found to affect fracture risk, specifically for osteoporotic fractures.

The overall rate of osteoporotic fracture was 1.73-fold higher in patients than controls (2.32-fold higher if associated with a fall, 1.01-fold if not). The risk for patients versus controls was increased 3.25-fold if they had used antidepressants in the previous 6 months, but 1.47-fold if they had not. The difference between the two risk increases was statistically significant.

Similarly, osteoporotic fracture risk was elevated 3.40-fold if patients had used hypnotics/anxiolytics in the preceding 6 months, but 1.40-fold if they had not. Use of oral glucocorticoids, opioids, and anticonvulsants did not influence fracture risk.

Editorialists Helen Tremlett (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada) and Robyn Lucas (The Australian National University, Canberra) comment that supplementation with vitamin D, in addition to calcium, could improve the bone health of MS patients.

"However, whether vitamin D supplementation will have effects on prevention or disease progression in MS is unknown and the optimal doses or long-term safety have not been established," they say.

They therefore suggest that a "comprehensive multifaceted approach, including a medication screen, lifestyle choice modifications (related to diet, exercise, smoking, and alcohol), as well as appropriate mobility aids and home adaption to minimize falls would be of value."

28/05/2012

Thiraviam Orthopaedic Hospital website template is online @ www.thiraviamortho.com & www.thiraviam.in

Emergency Contact No. # # # # #, Orthopedic Hospital, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu

09/05/2012

Arthritis for Seniors


“Arthritis” is not just a word doctors use when they talk about painful, stiff joints. In fact, there are many kinds of arthritis, each with different symptoms and treatments. Most types of arthritis are chronic. That means they can go on for a long period of time.
Arthritis can attack joints in almost any part of the body. Some forms of arthritis cause changes you can see and feel—swelling, warmth, and redness in your joints. In some the pain and swelling last only a short time, but are very bad. Other types cause less troublesome symptoms, but still slowly damage your joints.

Common Kinds of Arthritis

Arthritis is one of the most common diseases in this country. Millions of adults and half of all people age 65 and older are troubled by this disease. Older people most often have osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or gout.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis in older people. OA starts when cartilage begins to become ragged and wears away. Cartilage is the tissue that pads bones in a joint. At OA’s worst, all of the cartilage in a joint wears away, leaving bones that rub against each other. You are most likely to have OA in your hands, neck, lower back, or the large weight-bearing joints of your body, such as knees and hips.

OA symptoms can range from stiffness and mild pain that comes and goes with activities like walking, bending, or stooping to severe joint pain that keeps on even when you rest or try to sleep. Sometimes OA causes your joints to feel stiff when you haven’t moved them in a while, like after riding in the car. But the stiffness goes away when you move the joint. In time OA can also cause problems moving joints and sometimes disability if your back, knees, or hips are affected.

source: http://www.hecaix.com/health-center/seniors-health/Biological-and-psychosocial-issues/senior-advice-on-arthritis.htm

01/05/2012

Stendra, a new ED drug

Men experiencing erectile dysfunction now have yet another medical remedy: Stendra, a new ED drug which the FDA approved for sale (via prescription) on Friday.

Similar to the older household name pills Vi**ra and Cialis, Stendra is a PDE5 inhibitor, a class of drugs which increases blood flow to the p***s. What sets this new pill apart from the older drugs: Its parent company says that popping one of the pills can have a man ready for action in as little as 15 minutes (the other drugs take more like 30 minutes to an hour), allowing couples to be more spontaneous.

25/04/2012

Genes that increase risk of osteoporosis and fractures discovered

London: Researchers have identified the genetic variations that are believed to cause osteoporosis.

They found that women with a higher proportion of genetic variations associated with osteoporosis have a more than 50 percent increased fracture risk.

Osteoporosis is a common and a devastating age-related disease. About 50 percent of all who have a hip fracture after age 80 die within one year from the time of injury.

The consequences of osteoporosis are therefore well-known, but the causes of the disease are largely unknown.

In a groundbreaking international study, which is led partially from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, researchers have now succeeded in identifying a total of 56 genetic regions that control bone density in human beings.

Fourteen of these genetic variants increase the risk of fractures, the study has found.

“This is the first time anyone has identified the genetic variants that are so strongly associated with an increased risk of fracture,” said Claes Ohlsson, a professor at the Sahlgrenska Academy.

An international consortium, which also involves researchers from Umea University, Uppsala University and Malmpo University, is behind the study.

In total, the researchers studied the genetic make-up of a total of 80,000 people and 30,000 fracture cases, making it the world`s largest genetic study in this particular area of research.

“We can prove that women who have a large number of genetic variants associated with low bone density have up to a 56 percent higher risk of osteoporosis as compared with women who have a normal set-ups of the same genetic variants,” Ohlsson added.

The results have led to several new findings in bone biology, among other things the researchers identified several important molecular signaling pathways for bone density that can be targets for new treatment methods and therapies.

“In addition to already known proteins and pathways that were confirmed by the study, we are now facing a whole new biology in the field of bone research,” stated Ulrika Pettersson, Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neuroscience, Umea University, and co-author of the study.

The finding has been published in the world-leading journal Nature Genetics.

17/04/2012

Protect yourself from swine flu
Avoid crowded places and if that is not possible, practise good hand hygiene. Frequent hand-washing will go a long way.
If you've been in contact with someone who has the flu, or feel the symptoms yourself, do not ignore breathlessness or breathing problems, especially with high fever. See a doctor with your concerns. You could ask to be tested for H1N1.

16/04/2012

Second phase of pulse polio immunization campaign successful

The second phase of the Intensive Pulse Polio Immunization campaign was held yesterday. The last phase was held in February.

Over two lakh government employees and health workers coordinated together to make this possible. Thought the official numbers aren’t out yet but as many as 72 lakh children across the Tamil Nadu state received the drops. Considering that just about 70 lakh children were administered the immunization drops on February 19, the increased number shows that most of them have received the follow up drop while more children have been reached.

15/04/2012

Smoking Associated with Hip and Knee Replacement Failure

Orthopaedic surgeons outline steps to help patients stop smoking, ideally before surgery

To***co and ni****ne use are known to impair the body's ability to heal bones and wounds. Two new studies presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons looked at the effects of smoking on total joint replacement. A separate Smoking Cessation Forum featured expert testimony on how orthopaedic surgeons may successfully encourage and aid patients in quitting smoking, optimally before surgery.

The first study, "Increased Revision Rates Following Total Knee Arthroplasty in Patients Who Smoke," found that patients who smoke before and/or after total knee replacement (TKR) surgery had a 10-fold higher revision rate compared to non-smokers. The investigation involved 621 TKR patients, including 131 smokers (median age 62). All patients who were smokers were encouraged to participate in a smoking cessation program prior to TKR surgery. Clinical outcomes, including pain, function and range of motion, were assessed following surgery in both groups. The smoking group had 13 knee replacement failures (10 percent) compared to five in the non-smoking group (1 percent). The medical complication rate also was "significantly higher" in the smoking group, with 27 patients (21 percent) having a medical complication compared to 60 (12 percent) of non-smokers. Complications included deep venous thrombosis (DVT) or blood clots, anemia requiring treatment, cardiac problems, and acute renal failure. Investigators recommend that patients stop or minimize ni****ne use prior to TKR.

The second study, "Smoking is a Harbinger of Early Failure with Ultraporous Metal Acetabular Reconstruction," looked at the effects of smoking on patients who underwent reconstruction of the acetabulum – the cup shaped cavity at the base of the hip bone – with ultraporous metal. In general, the newer materials have resulted in increased survival rates and fewer hip replacement failures than other implants made from standard porous metal. Between 1999 and 2009, ultraporous acetabular components were used in 533 hip replacements, including 159 primary and 374 revision surgeries. Of these patients, 17 percent were smokers, 31 percent previous smokers, 50 percent non-smokers, and 3 percent unknown. The failure rate in smokers was 9.1 percent, compared to 3.4 percent in non-smokers. Investigators recommend that orthopaedic surgeons strongly advocate for smoking cessation before surgery to ensure optimal recovery and outcome.

During the Smoking Cessation Forum, experts provided testimony on the harmful ingredients and outcomes associated with smoking. Patients who quit smoking before and during orthopaedic treatment have less pain than those who smoke, but also better outcomes.

Among the recommendations provided by orthopaedic surgeons during the Forum:

Orthopaedic surgeons can help ensure optimal care by refusing to perform surgery on patients who smoke, said Glenn R. Rechtine, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon and associate chief of staff and adjunct professor at the University of South Florida. Forty percent of Dr. Rechtine's patients have stopped smoking as a result of his mandate.
Richard D. Hurt, MD, professor of medicine and director of the Ni****ne Dependence Center at Mayo Clinic, outlined a three-step process that clinicians can initiate to help their patients stop smoking. "First, ask about to***co use," said Dr. Hurt. "Have your receptionist ask, your nurse ask, your physician's assistant ask, and you ask – even if you already know the answer. Asking shows the patient that smoking is a serious problem that must be addressed. Then, advise the patient to stop smoking. Don't just say, 'you know, you ought to consider stopping someday.' Tell the patient, 'you need to stop smoking.' Finally, because smokers are going to push back, it's important to offer help."

"Smoking is the most costly and most preventable risk factor in postoperative complications," said Dr. Warner. "Surgery is a teachable moment – one we need to capitalize on."

SOURCE American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons