A new surgical technology that uses self-melting biological pins to fix the thigh bone with that of the leg during a surgery of torn anterior cruciate ligament, was commissioned at Fujairah Hospital recently during a visit of a reputed orthopaedic surgeon from Al Mafraq Hospital in Abu Dhabi.
Six surgeries of torn anterior cruciate ligament and one torn meniscus knee 'cartilage' surgery were conducted at Fujairah Hospital on Wednesday and Thursday by Dr Humaid Mohammed bin Baraka, Consultant Orthopaedic and Head of the Orthopaedic Surgery Department at Al Mafraq Hospital in Abu Dhabi.
Obeid Khalfan Al Khadeem, Director of Fujairah Hospital, said the seven surgeries carried out by the visiting orthopaedic surgeon are part of the Ministry of Health's programme of exchanging medical information to improve doctors' skills and to use new medical technologies.
"Fujairah Hospital used to conduct such surgeries in its developing orthopaedic department, and the important visit of Dr bin Baraka helped in exchanging views with our surgeons in Fujairah and Dibba Hospitals about the latest medical technologies in treating fractures of bones," said Al Khadeem.
He appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Health and the Department of Health Services in Abu Dhabi in activating the programme of exchange visits of doctors and surgeons in all hospitals in the country.
Dr bin Baraka, along with a group of orthopaedic surgeons from Fujairah and Dibba Hospitals, carried out four surgeries of torn anterior cruciate ligament on Wednesday and three other surgeries on Thursday, including one torn meniscus surgery on seven UAE national patients, mostly football players.
"We used biological pins to fix the bones of the thigh and leg together. These pins self-melt within six months after the cartilage and the crucial ligament of the affected knee heal," Dr bin Baraka told Gulf News, adding that this technology helps in better stabilisation of the bones during the surgery and facilitates the physiotherapy process.
He pointed out that each surgery takes around two hours after which the patient can walk again with the help of crutches.
The patient, then, should start intensive physiotherapy for not less than three months to strengthen the muscles of the knee to enable him to walk again.
"Any patient who undergoes a surgery of a torn anterior cruciate ligament or torn meniscus in his knee, will be allowed to play sports between six to nine months after the surgery to avoid another tear in his knee ligament if he plays sports before that time," said Dr bin Baraka.
He said the knee ligament can tear when a person suddenly twists his body. The surgery starts with the patient being put under general anaesthesia.
The surgeon makes a one cm incision in the affected knee to insert the arthroscope and another two cm incision in the same leg to cut out a substitute ligament to be used instead of the torn one.
He said the biological pins are also used in some other surgeries such as replacing the pelvis or knee joints and of the spinal column.
"During the next few months, Al Mafraq Hospital will be adopting the most advanced technology in knee surgeries which uses a 2mm cold electrothermal probe to pick the affected cartilage out of the knee," said Dr bin Baraka.
He added that this new technology, which will be commissioned at Al Mafraq Hospital for the first time, fosters the quick healing of the cartilage.
Gulf News
