Can Technological Advances, and Better Perioperative Care, Shift Total Knee Arthroplasty to a Younger Age Range?

Author

Shaun M. Ring, University of the PacificFollow

Date of Award

3-1-2019

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Master of Physician Assistant Studies

Department

Physician Assistant Education

First Advisor

Mark Christiansen

Abstract

Some of the advances could increase the life span of knee prosthetic implants to 20-25 years. Typical life span for most knee replacements is speculated to be around 15-20 years. This raises the question, that with the increase in technology, why is total knee arthroplasty not able to be performed in a younger population, 40-55 years of age, on a regular basis? It is frequently assumed that performing a TKA is not medically responsible in a patient younger than 55-60 years old, because of the possibility that they could need a costly revision in the future. Most of the studies, that are represented in this review of the literature, do not include ages of the patients in their studies. The use of severity, compartments involved, and quality of life measurements are what most studies base their findings on. With increase in prosthetic implant age at the time of possible failure, those qualifiers should be included in the synthesis of the studies, but also exclude the need for older ages as a qualifier to perform a TKA.

Recommended Citation

Ring, Shaun M., "Can Technological Advances, and Better Perioperative Care, Shift Total Knee Arthroplasty to a Younger Age Range?" (2019). Physician Assistant Capstones. 38.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/pa-capstones/38