Mohali (Punjab), Aug 17 (IANS) A 60-year-old woman who suffered multiple fractures to her shoulder and dislocated the joint, underwent a rare shoulder replacement surgery at a hospital here and was able to move the joint the day after the operation, doctors said Tuesday.
The patient Mohindro Devi, a resident of Kurukshetra town in Haryana, had an accidental fall that led to injuries to her left shoulder. The operation was performed at the Fortis hospital here Monday.
‘Age played an important factor in the treatment of this patient. The patient had weak bones and had suffered multiple fractures. After the accident, she had also started complaining of breathlessness,’ Manuj Wadhwa, director of orthopaedics and joint replacement surgeon, Fortis hospital, told reporters here Tuesday.
‘Earlier, the doctors suggested plating of the shoulder joint but it was not a good choice. So we opted for shoulder replacement, which is a very rare surgery and requires utmost precision. It went off successful, and post surgery she started moving her shoulder the next morning. She is expected to recover fully in four to six weeks,’ he added.
According to Wadhwa, shoulder replacement gives good functional outcome and pain control in fractures of the shoulder joint and in arthritic conditions.
Very few surgeons in India are trained for shoulder replacement surgery. Wadhwa has to his credit around 1,400 joint replacements annually.
Talking about the efficacy of the replacement surgery, Wadhwa said: ‘Life (of surgical replacement) is between 15 to 25 years, depending on factors such as a patient’s physical condition, activity level and accuracy of implant placement during the surgery.’
Mohali town is around 10 km from state capital Chandigarh.
