Researchers Identify Tool To Detect Total Joint Replacement Surgeries That Are Starting To Fail (MedicalNewsToday)
Medical Groups Tracking Hip, Knee Implants Following J&J Recall (BusinessWeek)
Two databases are now tracking the success rates of total hips and knees in the US
- AJRR
- UMass Registry
AJRR
The AJRR, which is funded by orthopedists, prosthetic manufacturers, insurance companies and hospitals, began collecting data from 16 hospitals in December as part of a pilot program, said its chairman, David Lewallen, a professor of orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The group plans to roll out the data collection system nationwide later this year.
The goal is to track the more than 700,000 total hip and knee replacement surgeries that take place in the U.S. each year and, over time, record which implants failed prematurely, requiring revision surgery to fix the original operation, Lewallen said.
UMass Registry
The UMass registry will track the experiences of more than 30,000 patients who undergo hip or knee implants each year, said Patricia Franklin, professor of orthopedics at the university and the principal investigator behind the study. Details about the individual patient’s experience could shed light on why some implants succeed and others fail, she said.
“Our research strategy is to complement the national registries,” Franklin said. “Was the metal implant successfully implanted? If so, when was it removed? While that’s important, we believe we should collect that, plus patient assessment. Did the patient have an unusual amount of pain? You wouldn’t know that from the revision rate.”