Bilateral knee replacement surgery successfully performed in the UAE

Prime Hospital has marked a first in its history with the successful performance of its first-ever bilateral total knee replacement surgery. Dr. Azam Badar Khan, a specialist in the field of Joint Replacement and also a surgeon, operated recently on a wheelchair-bound UAE resident suffering from severe Fixed Flexion, obesity and varus deformity at the Prime Hospital in Dubai.

According to the patient's medical history, the patient had suffered from extreme pain in her knees, which gradually progressed to an inability to walk over the course of the last three years. Hoping to see her walk again, the patient's husband brought her to Prime Medical Hospital to check on possible treatment that she can undertake.

Dr. Azam said that the challenge was how to help the patient regain her ability to stand up and start walking again. He revealed that some of the challenges that he faced in treating the patient was her gross deformity, obesity and the pain that she was feeling in her limbs.

"When the patient came to us, she was already using a wheelchair as the pain she was experiencing was too much for her to stand straight and even walk a few steps. Before performing the surgery, we had to give her antibiotic treatment to address her chest infection," said Dr. Azam.

"The patient had only 20-80 ROM, which is called a 20 degree Fixed Flexion Deformity. This is a condition where patients cannot make their knees straight beyond 20 degrees. In this case, the patient could only bend up to 80 degrees with severe varus bowing deformity."

During the surgery, Dr. Azam and his assisting team of medical experts, aimed at correcting the deformity and contractures while also looking to put back a full range of movement on both of her limbs, properly aligning and balancing them at 100 percent. The surgery is followed by intensive rehabilitation and physical therapy sessions to help the patient recover and regain use of her legs.