The second blog that I found myself reading is actually About.com’s section on orthopedics. I read an interesting post about minimally invasive procedures, and decided to share my opinion with the author, Dr. Jonathan Cluett. Again, the full text of my comment can be found below.
“Otis Med: Shape Matching Custom Fit Total Knee Replacement”
Comment:
Dr. Tarlow,
Very interesting post. I just recently stumbled upon your blog, so let me begin by saying that I am very grateful to read the thoughts of a surgeon who clearly cares very much about providing the best, and sometimes newest treatments for his patients. I am currently an undergrad at the University of Southern California and I am very interested in pursuing a career in surgery, particularly orthopedics.
So as for your post, I have a few questions regarding knee replacement surgery. You mentioned in your post that in a traditional replacement, the knee is aligned with its axis perpendicular to a line running from hip to ankle. Is a normal knee not always aligned like this? As far as I understood, this is the driving concept behind the Otis Med system, but it seems to me that most knees ought to be pretty close to this ideal that is used in the traditional replacement. In other words, is “customization” really worth the two or three degrees that a patient’s knee may be off by? As you said, the majority of traditional knee replacements can be expected to last several decades.Additionally, why is it that the Otis Med system looks at the degenerated knee and tries to reconstruct it to pick a replacement? Wouldn't it be easier to look at the healthy knee and assume symmetry? That way, no computer reconstruction would be necessary.
Forgive me if my comments seem uninformed or off-base. This is all very interesting to me, so I'm just trying to understand as much as I can.
Thanks,
JDM
“Are surgeries done through small incisions better?”
Comment:
Dr. Cluett,
This is a topic that has interested me for quite some time now. It seems to me that surgeons are constantly on the look out for ways to do less and less invasive surgery. In fact, I have even read about natural-orifice surgeries being performed on patients who really don't want scars. But what intrigues me the most is that often times these minimally invasive surgeries (particularly orthopedic ones, it seems) are very difficult for surgeons to perform, and thus increase the risk of surgical error. Do you think that this is indeed the case? Take, for example, a mini-hip replacement. I have read that there is concern about the ultimate alignment of the prosthesis with this technique.
Other minimally invasive surgeries, though, I feel are done because of a greater understanding of human anatomy. The Quad-sparing knee replacement provides an excellent. This procedure works around the quadriceps instead of through it so that the new joint can be better stabilized post-op. I think that it should be reasons like this, not cosmetic ones, that lead surgeons to create new surgical techniques. Thoughts?
1 comment:
JDM,
First off, thank you for a most interesting and inspiring post. I find the focus of your blog very exciting because as our world becomes more technologically advanced, so do many of the procedures that are commonplace in today's medical world. A factor that really makes this post well done is that your are very humble in your comments to other bloggers. Asking provocative questions can often times lead other authors to believe you are trying to show how smart you are (as I experienced this a while back). You do an excellent job of discounting this idea when you blatantly mention this in your first comment, "Forgive me if my comments seem uninformed or off-base. This is all very interesting to me, so I'm just trying to understand as much as I can." It is always great to clarify your reasoning for asking certain questions and by doing this you are not only leaving better comments, but making the authors more inclined to visit your own page.
I also think you did a great job choosing which blogs to post on. Both had very reliable sources for their authors, and were updated frequently enough to be a true resource. I did not use all the IMSA criteria for blog aptitude when looking at them, but I'm sure they would be sufficient. You might even want to add them to the linkroll if they are not yet a part of it. On that note, there was one improvement that you can and should make to help with clarity and strengthen your post. In the second comment you made, I believe you left out a word in the sentence, " The Quad-sparing knee replacement provides an excellent." If you could add that word, at least on your page because I know it will be awkward to repost a comment on the blog, it would overall make your post better. Good grammar and mechanics always makes for better written work.
Overall, your post was very successful, and I look forward to reading any future posts.
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