Osteoarthritis and Hip Surgery
(6/17/20)-The
results of a recent study of osteoporosis drugs that was published in
the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research suggests they may help reduce the risk
for pneumonia in patients 50 and older. Using a database of 4,041 people
hospitalized for hip fracture, the researchers compared that group with 11,802
patients who were not exposed to the bisphosphonates, such as Fosamax and
Actonel.
At the end of a 3 year period of
time, the users had a 24% reduced risk of getting pneumonia, and a 35% reduced
risk of dying from it. The reason for the effect is unclear.
Dr. Douglas R. Kiel of Hebrew Senior
Life and Harvard Medical School stated that the study is observational and does
not prove cause and effect.
(11/7/17) In an article in the
November 6th edition of the NY Times by Gina Kolata,
entitled “After a Torn A.C.L, Count on Arthritis In
the Next 10 Years” the author cites research done by Dr. Mininder
Kocher, an orthopedic professor at Harvard Medical Schools. Dr. Mininder’s analysis of data on the subject concludes that
the chance of getting arthritis within 10 years of tearing a tendon or a
ligament in the knee is greater than 50%.
Dr. Mininder
has written a soon to be published paper that states that the number of A.C.L.
operations at 26 children’s’ hospitals in the U.S. has increased from 500 in
2004 to more than 2,500 in 2014.
Of course one might ask what he
proposes be done to repair a torn A.C.L. or ligament instead of the operation?
(11/13/16)- There are an estimated
340,000 older adults who suffered hip fractures last year. Medical experts now
consider having the patients undergo hip surgery quickly after the diagnosis has
resulted in less complications and faster recovery times for those individuals.
Fast-track hospitals also are
providing special geriatric fracture and rehabilitation facilities for their
patients. These same experts estimate that these fast track operations has
resulted in a lower death rate for these individuals
A large international trial called
Hip Attack hopes to enroll up to 3,000 patients in 20 countries that will
compare the effectiveness of having hip-surgeries within 6 hours of diagnosis,
compared to delays of longer periods before the operation takes place.
(7/13/15)- Officials from the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) services announced that it plans to pay
a fixed rate for hip and knee replacement services performed by Medicare and
Medicaid medical professionals. In 2013, the latest year the numbers were
available, it paid for 400,000 inpatient joint replacement procedures, with a
total bill of more than $7 trillion. Costs varied from $16,500 to $33,000
across the country.
The federal government plans a
five-year imitative in which 75 providers in different parts of the country are
paid using the new method. Most providers in those areas would be required to
participate.
If approved, the new model will go
into effect January 1, 2016. First, it will undergo a 60-day comment period
(6/27/14)- HIP Surgery-
Half of nursing home residents who have a hip fracture injury, either die or
lose the ability to walk on their own in the six months after the injury,
according to a new study. Dr. Mark D. Neuman, from
the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in
Philadelphia told Reuters Health "Patients who had hip fractures had
pretty big increases in disabilities across the spectrum,"
Dr. Neuman et al collected data from Medicare and nursing home
claims, examining 60,000 residents who had hip fractures during the period from
2005-2009. The majority of this sample did not have remarkable limitations,
meaning they were able to get around with minimal of aid.
Results
of this descriptive study indicated that 6 months after hip surgery, one in
three individuals had died, including almost half the men. Further examination
of the data indicated that 28% of those who did not die became dependent on
others for mobility, personal hygiene and use of toilet. When tracked for a
full year, almost half the patients had died after their hip operation. The
over 90 years of age group had the worst outcome.
This
study was published in the June 25 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine.
(12/27/13)- As I mentioned in the item dated 11/23/13 below, I have been
taking two 1500 mg Glucosamine and
1500 mg MSM combination pills on a daily basis, and I have no way of telling if
that is what is even helping in alleviating the pain in my right knee. All I do
know is that there is now next to no pain in my knee from the osteoarthritis. I
do not wear a brace, I can climb up and down the stairs with no pain, and I can
walk as far and as long as I want.
Yes, I will continue to take
the pill with the combination supplement in it because I only know the bottom
line….namely my knee feels okay
(11/23/13)- During 2010-2012 an
estimated 22.7% of US adults had physician-diagnosed arthritis, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers report in the November 8 issue
of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Of those, 43.2% said their
activity was limited by their disease
Recently, the writer of this
article began to feel pain in my right knee area. An x-ray determined that the
pain was being caused by osteoarthritis of the knee. The pain is not that bad
that it prevents me from walking, and although at one point I was wearing a
knee brace, I discarded it, since I felt it is not doing me any real good.
I have begun to take two 1500 mg Glucosamine and 1500 mg MSM combination pills on a daily basis and I will let you know if I feel it is helping me.
(3/14/12)- A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel unanimously said a class of experimental osteoarthritis-pain drug from Pfizer Inc., and other companies should continue to be developed.
The drugs, known as anti-nerve growth factors (NGF), were put on hold in 2010 following reports that some patients' osteoarthritis rapidly worsened.
There are 3 companies conducting studies involving anti-NGF agents-with Pfizer the furthest along in development with its drug called tanezumab. The other 2 companies developing anti-NGF agents are J&J and Regeneron Pharmaceutical Inc.
The advisory panel said that clinical data collected to date indicates that there is a warning signal showing a certain type of rapid joint destruction among some patients exposed to the drugs, but that it wasn't enough to end development.
FOR AN INFORMATIVE AND PERSONAL ARTICLE ON PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS WHEN
SELECTING A NURSING HOME SEE OUR ARTICLE "How
to Select a Nursing Home"
by Allan Rubin and Harold Rubin
updated June 17, 2020
http://www.therubins.com
To e-mail: harold.rubin255@gmail.com or allanrubin4@gmail.com