“New Dissolvable Implant Promises Faster Recovery and Less Pain for Knee Replacement Patients in the UK and Beyond”

Knee replacement surgery can be a challenging and painful experience, but a new wafer-like implant is changing the game.

This innovative implant soothes pain before gradually dissolving, offering patients a smoother recovery process.

Markus Rasche, a 64-year-old former software company executive from Monk Fryston, North Yorkshire, was among the first to experience its benefits, which he shared in an interview with PAT HAGAN.

Struggling with Knee Pain Before Surgery

Markus first noticed his knee discomfort in his late 40s while playing handball—a sport he had loved for years.

Initially, he chalked it up to overexertion, relying on painkillers like paracetamol and ibuprofen to manage the pain. But by his mid-50s, the problem escalated.

During a work trip to Frankfurt, Markus’s knee gave out as he was boarding a train, causing him to fall between the platform and the train.

Though he wasn’t seriously injured, an orthopaedic specialist later diagnosed him with severe osteoarthritis in his right knee.

As time went on, the pain worsened, making everyday activities, like walking through a supermarket, unbearable.

Markus’s GP referred him to a hospital where he met Professor Hemant Pandit, who advised a total knee replacement.

However, the surgeon also mentioned a new, experimental treatment involving a dissolvable implant that could help manage the pain during recovery.

Choosing to Participate in the Trial

Despite knowing that there was no guarantee of receiving the new implant, Markus chose to participate in the trial.

The wafer, which contains a local anaesthetic called bupivacaine, is placed inside the new knee at the end of the surgery.

Markus’s surgery in May 2023 went smoothly, and while he had a 10cm wound on his knee, the recovery was surprisingly quick.

He only needed one dose of morphine post-surgery and was able to bend his knee almost immediately, leading him to believe he had received the dissolving implant—something that was confirmed later when the study concluded.

Within just a few days, Markus was back home, and within four weeks, he was well enough to go on holiday to Tenerife.

Eight months later, he underwent surgery on his left knee using the standard technique and without the dissolvable implant. The difference in pain was stark.

Markus described the pain as “shocking,” with opioids offering only limited relief.

This experience highlighted the effectiveness of the dissolvable implant in managing post-surgery pain.

The Science Behind the Wafer Implant

Professor Hemant Pandit, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, explained that knee replacement surgeries are life-changing for many patients suffering from osteoarthritis.

However, the recovery process can be tough due to the significant pain that follows.

Opioid painkillers, such as morphine, are commonly prescribed but come with a host of potential side effects, including nausea, constipation, and even addiction.

The new dissolvable implant, ATX-101, offers an alternative solution.

It’s designed to provide continuous pain relief during the first crucial weeks of recovery, when patients need to regain mobility in their new knee.

Made from the same material used in dissolvable stitches, the wafer is about the size of a 20p coin and contains 500mg of bupivacaine.

The implant releases larger amounts of the drug in the first few days after surgery, gradually tapering off as it dissolves over a month.

The Impact of the Implant in Clinical Trials

The wafer implant has shown promising results in clinical trials, which involved 112 patients from the UK, Canada, and Australia.

In the study, 16% of patients who received the highest dose of bupivacaine required no opioids at all during their recovery, compared to just 3% in the placebo group.

Many patients with the wafer implant were also able to walk, climb stairs, and get in and out of cars sooner than those in the placebo group.

This could be a significant breakthrough for those undergoing knee replacements, as about 50% of patients report experiencing severe pain after their surgery.

The dissolvable implant could help alleviate this pain and speed up the recovery process, providing patients with a better quality of life post-surgery.

A Step Forward in Pain Management

The development of the wafer implant represents an exciting advancement in pain management for knee replacement patients.

By reducing the reliance on opioids and offering consistent pain relief, this new approach could revolutionize recovery times and improve outcomes for thousands of people undergoing knee surgery each year.

This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!

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