Surgeons at Yashoda Hospitals, Somajiguda conducted a complete elbow joint replacement surgery on a woman patient, Asho (70) from Kenya, on March 18. Compared to other joint replacements, elbow joint replacement is a bit more complicated because of ‘several moving parts that balance each other with great precision to control the movements of forearm’.
“Care must be taken to avoid harming the large nerve that travels along the outside edge of the elbow joint. The patient had badly fractured her left elbow due to a fall. She underwent two surgeries in Kenya which failed to alleviate her misery. She found it difficult to move her elbow that had become stiff,” said Joint Replacement and Sports Medicine Specialist, Dr. Sunil Dachepalli, Yashoda Hospitals, who led the surgical team.
For approximately every 10,000 knee and hip replacement surgeries, one elbow joint surgery is usually conducted in India. Post surgery, she was discharged in less than three days and found to be recuperating well. “She could use her hand as before after going through physiotherapy,” doctors said.
