65-year-old woman from Delhi gets a 'golden knee'

It is nothing but a miracle for 65-year-old Premlata Jain from Delhi, who had been suffering from Osteoarthritis from the last ten years, to get the 'golden knee' implants, which are better and last longer than conventional ones.

Doctors at a Delhi hospital performed the implant, which is still new in the country but gaining popularity due to its non-allergic traits.

"There are seven layers of metals which help in keeping the metal ions from escaping and, thus are non-allergic. Also, the surface of this metal is smooth, causing less friction, thus the life of the joint increases to 30-35 years," said Dr Raju Vaishya, president, Indian Cartilage Society and Arthritis Care Foundation, and Senior Consultant Orthopaedic and Joint Replacement Surgeon, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals.

The 'golden knee', is a total knee arthroplasty implant, which has a 'Bionic Gold' surface. This surface prevents direct contact with the base material of the implant with the surrounding tissue and reduces the release of particles and ions due to wear. It, therefore, almost eliminates the chances of metal allergy and also provides wear protection of the knee implant.

The 'Bionic Gold' surface is made by a fully bio-compatible titanium niobium nitride (TiNbN) ceramic surface coating on metallic implant components. This coating gives a metallic, light golden yellow appearance, whereby the coating forms a firm bond with the implant.

Jain was 130 kgs when she was brought to the hospital. With doctors' guidance, her weight was first reduced to 110 kgs and then the implants were made.

"There are several other benefits of these implants, including hardness superior to conventional cobalt chromium-based alloys, long-term chemical stability, extreme adhesive strength, and outstanding biocompatibility. We have been recommending these to most people and have managed seven surgeries in the last two weeks since we procured these implants," said Dr Vaishya.

Golden Touch

• The ‘Bionic Gold’ surface is made by a fully bio-compatible titanium niobium nitride (TiNbN) ceramic surface coating on metallic implant components. 
• This coating gives a metallic, light golden yellow appearance, whereby the coating forms a firm bond with the implant.