Partial knee replacements ‘may be safer than total replacements’

Patients who undergo partial knee replacement surgery may experience safety benefits compared to those receiving total replacements.

This is the conclusion of a study from the University of Oxford, funded by Arthritis Research UK and the Royal College of Surgeons, which showed that although the risk of life-threatening complications from knee replacement surgery is very small, patients undergoing total knee replacements are at greater danger.

People receiving total replacements are four times more likely to die in the first month after surgery compared to those who have partial knee surgery, and 15 percent more likely to die in the first eight years.

Moreover, the risk of thrombosis, heart attack, deep infection, stroke and a need for blood transfusions is also higher, while associated hospital stays are longer and the chance of being readmitted or requiring a re-operation during the first year more pronounced.

Study leader Professor David Murray at the University of Oxford said: "Patients will be concerned about death following joint replacement. However, patients who have severe arthritis are very immobile and therefore tend to be unfit."

Total knee replacement is one of the most common surgical procedures in the UK and is often performed on patients with conditions such as osteoarthritis, the most prevalent form of joint disease.