Osteoarthritis patient undergoes Gold Knee Replacement surgery at AIIMS

A 60-year-old woman was suffering from a knee problem and her knee has now been replaced with a golden knee (as doctors call it) at the All India Instititute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). On Wednesday the Gold Knee Replacement surgery was conducted at AIIMS.

“There is no gold in the implant but it is golden in colour. It is actually colbalt chromium with seven layers of special coatings which act as a barrier between the skin and the metal which ward off allergies and infection,” Dr Rajesh Malhotra, head of the department of Orthopaedics at AIIMS and chief of its Trauma Centre, said.

The patient had the problem of osteoarthritis and had undergone conventional knee replacement surgery in 2015. She had difficulty in walking and was in severe pain when she had come to AIIMS. At that time she had pus coming out of her infected knee.

The implant had also got loose and so her knees were not able to bear her weight, he told. At first the old implant was removed by the doctors. The doctors then treated her infection with antibiotics and then implanted a golden knee.

In implants, cobalt chromium and titanium are some of the commonly used metals and alloys. He told many people had allergic reactions to various metals that were used in conventional joint implants and this could also become a reason of infection.

Cobalt chromium impants also have nickel in them which can cause health problems such as toxicity. “Gold knee is one of the best implants as its wear and tear is very low and it also prevents any allergic reaction,” he said.

It was also capable of taking on extra weight, he said. “It can withstand corrosive environment strains that all artificial knees are exposed to,” he said. The Gold Knee Replacement surgery is about three times more expensive than the conventional one. It costs about Rs 1.5 lakh at AIIMS.