Knee Arthroscopic Washout Europe

Knee arthroscopy OPERATION: ……knee Arthroscopy PROCEDURE: An arthroscopy means “looking into a joint” with a camera. It allows the surgeon to examine the knee joint and perform some operations without having to open the knee completely. You will be visited by your surgeon before your operation. The surgeon will mark (with a felt pen) the leg. This is to make sure the correct leg is operated on. If you have any questions, this is a good time to ask them. Anaesthetic will be administered in theatre and a tight inflatable band (tourniquet) may be placed across the top of your thigh to limit the amount of bleeding. Your skin will be cleaned with anti-septic solution and clean towels (drapes) placed around your knee. The surgeon will make up to four small incisions (cuts) either side of the knee cap. These are generally no more than 1 centimetre in length. Through the first incision, the surgeon can pass a telescope with a camera. This shows pictures on a nearby television screen. The second or third incision may allow tools or drains to be passed into the joint. The tools include probes, shavers, scissors and punches. The surgeon might not be able to say exactly what needs to be done until they are looking inside the knee. Therefore the consent form is non-specific. It allows the surgeon to treat most abnormalities found during the operation. Some surgeons close the skin with stitches (non-dissolvable) in which case they will need to be removed around ten days after the operation. Your nurse practitioner at your GP practice can do this for you (make an appointment). When finished, the wounds are dressed and local anaesthetic may be injected into the wounds. When you wake up, you will have a padded bandage around your knee. Later the same day, when you feel well enough, and you have been shown how to use crutches, you may go home. You should not drive yourself home.

OPERATION: …… Knee Replacement (Knee Arthroplasty) PROCEDURE: The knee is an important hinge joint and as it is weight-bearing can be prone to “wearing out”. Arthritis is painful and disabling and you and your surgeon may have decided that a knee replacement may be your best option. A knee replacement is a surgical procedure, in which the injured or damaged running surfaces of the knee are replaced with artificial parts which are secured to the bone. If you have any X-rays of your own please remember to bring them with you to the hospital. You will be seen by the surgeon before the operation. They will take this opportunity to draw (mark with a pen) on your leg. This is to make sure the correct leg is operated on. If you have any questions, this might be a good time to ask them. An anaesthetic will be administered in theatre. This may be a general anaesthetic (where you will be asleep) or a local block (e.g. where you are awake but the area to be operated is completely numbed). You must discuss this with the anaesthetist. A tight inflatable band (a tourniquet) may be placed across the top of the thigh to limit the bleeding. Your skin will be cleaned with anti-septic solution and covered with clean towels (drapes). The surgeon will make an incision (a cut) down the middle of the knee. The knee capsule (the tough, gristle-like tissue around the knee) which is then visible can be cut and the knee cap (patella) pushed to one side. From here, the surgeon can trim the ends of the thigh bone (femur) and leg bone (tibia) using a special bone saw. Some surgeons also remove the underside of the knee cap. Using measuring devices, the new artificial knee joints are fitted into position