IN Ross Township Spring 2016 | Page 4

Allegheny Health Network: Personalized Care and Advanced Technologies to Eliminate Joint Pain Advancing knee and hip replacements with new technology at Allegheny Health Network As our population continues to get older and live longer, the number of people in need of knee and hip replacements is expected to skyrocket in the next 15 to 20 years. the premier services in the country,” said Patrick J. DeMeo, MD, Professor and Chair of AHN’s Orthopaedic Institute, and Medical Director, Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Organization. Allegheny Health Network (AHN) is already looking ahead to the future to help those suffering from joint problems, offering innovative treatments such as one-day knee replacements, bilateral (or dual) knee and hip replacements, and the use of a robotic system to help guide doctors during surgery. These are advancements that offer shorter recovery time and hospital stays, allowing patients a quicker path to pain-free mobility. Doctors at AHN have already performed more than 100 procedures using the MAKO™ Partial Knee Resurfacing and MAKO™ Total Hip Arthroplasty. “We are anticipating this growing demand for advanced orthopaedic care in the community by further enhancing and expanding our joint replacement program, and making it one of Giving Diamond Care to knee and hip replacement patients Allegheny Health Network’s Diamond Care program offers patients every resource possible necessary to assure the best outcomes for orthopaedic knee and hip replacement surgery. A Diamond Care Navigator is assigned to every patient to provide one-on-one counseling and support from the time a surgery is scheduled through a patient’s recovery from surgery at home. Navigators also make calls to patients after they are discharged from the hospital to assure their recovery is proceeding well and address any concerns or questions they have. Patients who undergo joint replacement at AHN are cared for on a dedicated orthopaedic unit that provides advanced pain management techniques so that physical therapy can begin the day of surgery. The Diamond Care team also conducts an extensive clinical review of pre-operative testing and screening to ensure patients are healthy before surgery, reducing the risk of complications. “The Diamond Care program takes the best aspects of care from all Allegheny Health Network hospitals and nationally recognized programs and integrates them into a streamlined approach to ensure that superior care and outcomes are the standard of care in our facilities,” said Patrick J. DeMeo, MD, Professor and Chair of AHN’s Orthopaedic Institute, and Medical Director, Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Organization. The knee procedure involves resurfacing the diseased portion of the knee, followed by an implant that is secured in the joint. Hip replacement involves total reconstruction of the hip’s ball and socket joint with an artificial implant. In both procedures, the Robotic Arm Interactive Orthopedic System (RIO®) creates a 3-D model of a patient’s hip or knee, based on a CT scan. During surgery, RIO® gives real-time data to the surgeon, who controls a robotic arm, to give the best positioning for an implant. AHN surgeons said the use of MAKO™ allows them to create a better surgical plan to fit each patient’s individual needs. “This less invasive option helps patients remain active and pain free for many years and enables them to avoid total knee replacement for longer,” said Michael Seel, MD, Director of Orthopaedic Surgery at AHN’s West Penn Hospital and Wexford Health + Wellness Pavilion. Added AHN’s Timothy J. Sauber, MD, “The precision of MAKO™ allows for optimal placement of artificial joints and results in decreased friction on the new joint, and a more natural feeling joint for the patient.” Some of the benefits of MAKO™ Partial Knee Resurfacing and Total Hip Arthroplasty include: • Less implant wear or loosening. • Better alignment of a hip implant reduces the likelihood of hip dislocation or other complications, including rubbing or reduced range of motion. It also allows the surgeon to make sure both legs remain the same length. • Less invasiv