Mohali, 11th May, 2011: Fortis Hospital Mohali is one of the country’s premium High-Technology Joint Replacement Centers to deliver state-of-the-art care to its patients by coalescing world class technology and methodologies that make joint surgery a pleasurable and risk free experience. Now patients will not only be able to minimise the risk of infection arising during the course of operation but also be getting customised treatment that suit individual requirements. “Technology plussurgical expertise is the global future for innovation in Joint Replacements” says Dr. Manuj Wadhwa- Director and Head of Joint Replacement Unit at Fortis. “Today a combination of technology, expertise, sterile and well-monitored environment as well as customized physiotherapy can give very accurate and long lasting results” he added.

The hospital has recently acquired the ‘4th Generation Computer Assisted Surgery (CAS) machine’ with the latest software which will be utilized for computer aided surgery which has the proven benefits of faster and more accurate surgical technique. Speaking about this new proud acquisition, Dr. Manuj Wadhwa said, “This technology coupled with High Performance Instrumentation, helps to virtually eliminate chances of implant misalignments, results in more accurate bone cuts and reduces blood loss therefore significantly reducing overall surgical time and post-operative recovery period. It also helps to create a 3-D image of the joint which helps in better soft tissue balancing and resulting in better alignment and therefore increased life of the implant. All this translates into higher flexion (like squatting & sitting cross legged) which are essential parts of the lifestyle of Indian patients.”

It will be the first Joint Replacement Unit in north India to use ‘ZERO-G Helmet Suits’ during a surgery like they do in the west. The latest piece of equipment has the Hytrel® Elastomer material which minimizes the rates of infection by providing barrier protection from blood and bodily fluids to the surgeon as well as to the patient inside the OT. While the conventional masks allow escape of air from a lot of areas where it is loosely tied, the helmet is air tight and has special in-built arrangement for the doctor to breathe and cool and would improve success rate for joint replacements even better as per Dr. Wadhwa.

One of the major causes of surgical failures are Hospital Acquired Infections. But now patients coming to Fortis Mohali can be rest assured that the quality of surgical care is the best. They can benefit from the newly installed High performance Operation Theatres (OT) that are the latest in terms of technological advancements. These new OTs have a Laminar flow of air with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters which ensure 100% fresh air of the highest purity & eliminate chances of infection in OTs. They also have Seamless walls and floors for ease of cleaning and prevention in growth of any micro-organisms. The doors too are State of art for maintaining air-tight OTs which prevents any cross-contamination from other areas. As per Dr. Wadhwa the infection rate should be < 0.5% in these advanced operating suites which matches with international norms.

Lastly, all the medical enhancements and technological advancements have been made patient-centric. The launch of the ‘Patient Specific Instrumentation (PSI) helps to create customized cutting guides tailored to each patient's unique anatomy thereby leading to increased accuracy and safety during joint replacement. This also helps in eliminating several steps in the total knee replacement procedure and potentially increases efficiency in the operating room. Dr. Wadhwa proudly shared that we were the first in north India to start these CT Based Customised Joint Replacements which has proved to be a very successful tool.

Elaborating on the need for new age tools in modern surgery, Dr Manuj Wadhwa said, “A joint replacement surgery is a complex and delicate affair. There is no scope for trivial mistake as that can cause considerable suffering, pain and long term disability for the patient. The quick and efficient adaption of evolutionary high technology is an intrinsic element of the science of joint replacement. A surgeon gets better only with experience and when equipped with the right kind of tool. This directly affects the quality of patient care and the time to recovery. Moreover, the patient gets better faster when he is in safe hands.”

Also a breakthrough in knee replacement surgery offers flexibility of upto 155 degrees and these high flexion joints are a major demand in Asian population considering majority of these would like sitting cross legged for religious, social cultural and recreational activities. Deep knee flexion is not only important for leisure activities. Many total knee patients are rather young and therefore still in the working process. Just think about a carpenter, a painter or a plumber.

Patients expect a painless, functional stable knee as their first priority, but deep knee flexion is unquestionably next in line. Few of these designs like RPF and CR 150, designed in New York especially for Asians and Japanese offers no constraint to knee bending as it consists of rotating platform technology pioneered in North India by Dr. Manuj Wadhwa.

Fortis Mohali is one of the most advanced high-tech multispecialty hospitals in the country. The Joint Replacement Center at Fortis Mohali has been the most active center at the hospital with world-class facilities for joint replacement procedures. Under the leadership of Dr. Manuj Wadhwa, the hospital has proven their superiority in the field of Joint replacement. They have been consistently outnumbered most centers performing more than over 1700 Joint Replacement Surgeries every year, and considering Dr Manuj Wadhwa personally performed more than 8000 joint replacements so far the skills are unparalleled. Thanks to these newly adapted technologies, a patient can now opt for global tools and world class doctors under the same roof.

About Fortis Mohali Fortis Hospital Mohali (FHM) set on a sprawling 8.22 acres, is the veritable torch bearer of these super specialty centers of excellence across the country. It is the first and only hospital in India to be the proud awardees of two very prestigious accreditations which are the Joint Commission International (JCI), USA, and the National Accreditation Board of Hospitals (NABH), India, both of which are known for their stringent standards and intensive evaluation.