Expert: Good news on the horizon for hip replacements

There are positive challenges ahead in improving hip replacements and other such procedures, according to a medical professional.

Dr Imran Khan, a research manager at Biomet UK, made his comments following a report by the University of Leeds, which showed that new technologies must be developed to create longer lasting joint replacements because of the ageing population in the UK.

He pointed out that there are bound to be problems ahead, but that the medical community will come up with new ideas.

Dr Khan commented that this would lead to more research projects and new solutions for patients.

“We have been replacing joints for going on 50 years. Here we have had few problems, in fact hip replacement is one of the most successful of all surgical procedures,” he explained.

In his view, the key is to finding technology that will last a patient their whole lifetime, since joint replacements are now carried out on younger generations, when previously it was mostly pensioners.