Surgical Instruments Used in Total Knee Replacement

Total knee replacement surgery---also known as total knee arthroplasty---generally takes from one to two-and-a-half hours, with the patient usually under general anesthesia.

The Procedure

• During the knee replacement surgery, the surgeon first removes any damaged cartilage and bone. The new metal and plastic prosthetic is then positioned on the bone, a procedure designed to return function and alignment to the knee.

Different Types of Knee Replacements

• Although there are many different types of designs and materials used in a total knee replacement surgery, most consist of three components: the femoral component, made of strong metal; the tibial component, made of durable plastic; and the patellar component, which is also made of plastic.

The Instruments

• The instruments used in the operation include:
  Scalpel---used to make the incision
  Bovie pencil---a device used to electrically cauterize, or burn and seal, the ends of blood vessels that are bleeding into the surgical area
  Rake retractors---to pull the skin away from the incision
  Rongeur---used to remove bone spurs
  Drill---for drilling holes in the bones
  Femoral, tibial cutting and patellar jigs---used to cut the bones
  Mallet and pins---the pins help keep the prosthesis in place, and the mallet is used to hammer the pins into the bone
  Bone saw---used to shape the bone for the prosthesis
  Cement---used to adhere the replacement to the bone
  Sutures---used to sew the skin back together after the procedure is complete

The Outcome

• According to the Mayo Clinic, "more than 95 percent of those who have a total knee replacement experience significant pain relief, improved mobility and a better overall quality of life."

The Results

• Total knee replacements have been performed successfully at all ages.