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Thursday, July 30. 2009
American Joint Replacement Registry
Announced
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)
Creates Independent Organization
07/23/2009
Rosemont, IL
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)
has incorporated the American Joint Replacement Registry
(AJRR), a nonprofit organization dedicated to collecting
and reporting on hip and knee joint replacement
procedures. AAOS believes this proposed option is a
patient safety best practice.
The goal of a national joint registry is to monitor
device performance, thereby allowing early recognition
of underperforming processes or devices and supporting
continued clinical learning.
"In 2009, AAOS has made great strides in bringing the
American Joint Replacement Registry to reality. We have
now incorporated. And, we currently are in the process
of forming project work groups to tackle data,
governance and oversight issues." said John Callaghan,
MD, first vice president of the AAOS and orthopaedic
surgeon at the University of Iowa.
The AAOS has researched and determined the best
course of action for starting and administering a
national joint registry, one that would include:
- privacy safeguards for patients;
- legal protections for device makers and
physicians;
- a plan to begin capturing data as early as
2010; and
- infrastructure to capture at least 90
percent of all procedures.
In 2006, there were more than 1 million hip and knee
replacements performed in the U.S. Of these,
approximately 7.5 percent were revisions, resulting in
77,000 procedures at a cost of more than $32 billion. A
national joint registry will help doctors to more
quickly identify poorly performing products and match
patient procedures and devices to optimize outcomes.
Therefore, the AJRR could help patients and payers save
money and could limit the number of revision (or
secondary) surgeries necessary. Based on the projected
procedures through 2030, the potential savings could
exceed $13 billion over 20 years.
Proposed by the AAOS and related stakeholders, the
AJRR proposal calls for an independent, not-for-profit
organization, funded by the proposing stakeholders --
orthopaedic surgeons, payers, government agencies,
patient groups, hospitals and device manufacturers. The
AJRR is estimated to cost $20 to $25 million to
initiate.
"We now have a chance to put best practices, already
benefiting patients in other countries, to work here in
the U.S. For instance, registries in Sweden, Great
Britain, Canada and Australia have seen up to a 10
percent reduction in revision rates. Even with a modest
2 percent decrease in the U.S. revision rate, this
proposal would yield a savings of $652 million in one
year," said David Lewallen, MD, chair of the AJRR
Project Team and orthopaedic surgeon at Mayo Clinic.
Background: When a patient has a hip or knee
implanted into his body, the device used was chosen by
his orthopaedic surgeon based on the patient’s needs and
lifestyle as well as the device’s performance. A
device’s longevity is one of the factors that would be
monitored by a national joint registry. A joint registry
follows the artificial joint device throughout a
recipient’s lifetime in a database with information
about the patient’s demographics, as well as where and
when the surgery took place.
Thursday, July 30. 2009
Smith & Nephew 2Q Net Profit +15%; Deferrals Greater In Young
July 2009
LONDON (Dow Jones) Medical technology company Smith & Nephew PLC (SN.LN)
Thursday July 30, 2009 reported a 15% rise in second-quarter profit, but
said key products like its Birmingham hip resurfacing system are being
disproportionately hit by the recession, as younger people are more likely to
put off surgery than retirees.
Smith & Nephew said sales growth for replacement hips and knees is slow, as
patients continue to put off going under the knife while worries about the
economy persist. Growth in global sales of its knee products was 1% on the year,
while the hip sales declined 1%.
The company said products like its Birmingham hip resurfacing system, or BHR,
and its Journey knee implant have "a greater exposure" to the effects of the
recession because the rate of deferrals for operations is highest among young,
privately-insured patients.
Peers like Stryker Corp. (SYK), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and Zimmer Holdings Inc.
(ZMH) have reported a similar softness in the multi-billion dollar a-year market
for new joints.
Smith & Nephew said net profit for the three months to June 28 rose to $118
million from $103 million a year earlier, on revenue down 7% at $926 million.
That's just ahead of analysts' average forecast of about $117 million net
profit.
Tuesday, July 21. 2009
Link
http://www.cbssports.com/cbssports/story/11970316
Landis not ready to ride into sunset
July 20, 2009
By Lesley Visser CBS Sports
Three years ago this week, his legs aching and his lungs on fire, Floyd
Landis staged one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the Tour de
France...
...His improbable ride that day was all the more remarkable because he was
experiencing severe hip pain and avascular necrosis to the femur head
(diminished blood supply - remember Bo Jackson?) as a result of a training
accident in 2003.
Landis wrestled with what do - a complete hip replacement would have all but
ended his chances to be a world-class cyclist again when his suspension was
lifted this January. Landis decided to have a relatively new operation called
the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing, which was performed in October of 2006 by
surgeons from Smith and Nephew, the British jointmaker.
In hip-joint resurfacing, only the surface of the hip socket and femur ball are
replaced. It is kind of a cap at the end of worn-out bone, sparing much of the
original joint..
...It changed my life," said Landis, who hopes to compete in the Tour de
France next year. "I've ridden almost 20,000 miles on my new hip. I have
completely recovered."
READ MORE
Saturday, July 18. 2009
World judo medalists to open west-end club after hip resurfacing
Kevin Nagel, Post Sports Editor
Link
http://www.burlingtonpost.com/sports/article/268172
Published on Jul 17, 2009
The husband and wife team of Ron and Tracy Angus has accumulated 19 medals in
world masters judo competition over the years.
For Ron, who has 14 of them - 11 gold - there are two reasons why he still
travels the world for such events. "No. 1, I like to compete," he said, while
taking a break from a little one-on-one soccer play with his nine-year-old
daughter, Chelsea. "No. 2, it keeps me realistic when I'm coaching people. If we
don't test theories and training methods, we start going off track as coaches."
A nagging hip injury kept him in pain for 15 years and out of competition for
the past four years until a hip resurfacing operation eliminated the
suffering. It worked so well, he is back running and lifting heavy weights.
"I'm so happy with it, that's why I decided to get back into competition - I'm
pain free," said Angus, 52...
READ MORE
Thursday, July 16. 2009
Robyn Benincasa Hip Resurfacing
Link
http://www.thenewstribune.com/tacoma/24hour/consumer/outdoors/story/811676.html
competed in close to 40 expedition-length events - gnarly, multiday, multisport
killers such as Primal Quest and Eco-Challenge. She has biked through jungles in
Borneo, climbed Himalayan giants in Nepal, trekked across lava fields in Fiji,
rafted rapids in Chile - and racked up multiple world championship titles along
the way. In her spare time, Robyn, 42, is a full-time firefighter in San Diego,
on the nation's first all-female crew. She previously competed in college-level
diving and gymnastics and raced six Ironman triathlons.
Robyn might know better than anyone how to push through sore muscles and achy
joints...
Adventure Racing World Championships in Scotland in 2007, Robyn
was hit with sudden pain in her hips so severe she almost couldn't finish the
race. She had entered the competition with her team as a favorite but wound up
barely able to make it across the finish line. She literally picked up each leg
and placed it in front of her, dragging herself up the last few mountains of the
course. Back home, doctors diagnosed Robyn with osteoarthritis and proclaimed
her days of professional racing over.
In her 15-year career as a professional adventure racer, Robyn
Benincasa has competed in close to 40 expedition-length events - gnarly,
multiday, multisport killers such as Primal Quest and Eco-Challenge. She has
biked through jungles in Borneo, climbed Himalayan giants in Nepal, trekked
across lava fields in Fiji, rafted rapids in Chile - and racked up multiple
world championship titles along the way. In her spare time, Robyn, 42, is a
full-time firefighter in San Diego, on the nation's first all-female crew. She
previously competed in college-level diving and gymnastics and raced six Ironman
triathlons.
Robyn might know better than anyone how to push through sore muscles and achy
joints...
But at the Adventure Racing World Championships in Scotland in 2007, Robyn was
hit with sudden pain in her hips so severe she almost couldn't finish the race.
She had entered the competition with her team as a favorite but wound up barely
able to make it across the finish line. She literally picked up each leg and
placed it in front of her, dragging herself up the last few mountains of the
course. Back home, doctors diagnosed Robyn with osteoarthritis and proclaimed
her days of professional racing over.
She was crushed. But her competitive spirit wasn't quiet for long. In fact,
Robyn's love of adventure racing is what kept her afloat through the difficult
time after her diagnosis. Competing again, "is the mental carrot I dangled in
front of myself to get well," she says.
Soon after, Robyn founded the Project Athena Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated
to helping women who've endured medical setbacks achieve their athletic dreams,
whether it means climbing Mount Kilimanjaro or running a local 10K. The goal? To
encourage survivors not just to survive - but to thrive in the wake of their
diagnoses...
...Robyn, however, is back in full competition mode. After successful
hip-resurfacing surgery in 2007, she has recovered and returned full force to
the sport she loves. This month she'll lead Team Merrell/Zanfel Adventure at
Primal Quest Badlands, a 600-mile adventure race across the canyons, caves, and
hills of South Dakota. She's in it to win it, of course, but now she has a new
goal: raising awareness for the Project Athena Foundation - and showing other
survivors that medical setbacks don't mean the end of athletic goals. Sometimes,
in fact, they can lead to better things.
Track Robyn's progress August 14-23 at
www.ecoprimalquest.com
Thursday, July 9. 2009
Beale beats off adversity to become first female 'master' in the UK
Monday, 06 July 2009
Adversity has been well and truly overcome by Sandra Beale, the National
Association of Karate and Martial Art Schools' (NAKMAS National Governing Body)
director of operations, who has just become the first woman in the UK to achieve
Shihan (master) status in Tsuyoi Ryu Karate.
Sandra, 41, achieved 5th Dan karate grade within Tsuyoi Ryu which has been part
of the UK and international martial arts scene since 1977. Sandra achieved this
colossal feat despite suffering two bouts of cancer during her life, and in
addition to her tireless 17 years work with NAKMAS National Governing Body.
Sandra said: "It is a great honour to achieve my 5th Dan. I could never have
imagined achieving this level. Without the support of my husband and the
constant dedication and loyalty of my students, I wouldn't have reached this
stage."
Sandra was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Ewings Sarcoma, when she was
nine years-old and was told she had a fifty-fifty chance of survival. After
surgery, radiotherapy and two years of chemotherapy she survived, but the
extensive treatment caused other illnesses, including damage to the heart.
As Sandra grew older, she developed skin cancer, and recently needed hip
resurfacing. Undeterred, Sandra aimed high within karate and became instrumental
in reshaping the NAKMAS National Governing Body, being the driving force behind
securing NAKMAS the Equality Standard in Sport accreditation and the
International Quality Management Standard (BS EN ISO 9000).
Richard Fowler, Deputy Chair of NAKMAS National Governing Body, says:
"Not only is Sandra a valuable asset to the NAKMAS team, she is also an
inspiration to others faced with adversity, a role model for other women and an
example of someone who commits themselves to overcoming any challenge.
"To become the first woman Shihan is testament to Sandra's determination and,
add to that what she has achieved for NAKMAS, illustrates her importance to the
martial arts in the UK. NAKMAS has taken giant leaps in developing a nationwide
strategy for martial arts, and Sandra can take a lot of the credit for being one
of the architects of that progress."
Sandra has been practising karate for 18 years. As well as being the national
director of operations to NAKMAS she is the joint chief instructor to the Kent
Karate Schools (www.kentkarateschools.co.uk),
teaching her classes in Ashford and Canterbury, specialising in teaching
children, including those with Asperger Syndrome and those with other special
needs.
Away from her many martial arts commitments, Sandra's true passion is dance and
she has competed in professional dance competitions since she was four
years-old. She continues to dance, practising and teaching alongside her father,
Alan Beale.
Sandra is also an academic and attained a Master of Arts in Education from the
University of Kent. She is about to commence study for a Doctorate in Education
at the Sheffield Hallam University, specialising in autism within sport and
physical activity.
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