Columbus Community Hospital Announces New Oxford® Knee Procedure

Columbus, NE (February, 2008) There’s a new surgical procedure for knees at Columbus Community Hospital that restores more natural knee function and faster recovery after surgery. The Oxford® Partial Knee Replacement is being used by Dr. Richard Cimpl and Dr. Cody Harlan of Columbus Orthopedic and Sports Medicine. Drs. Cimpl and Harlan are two of only eight surgeons in the state licensed by the FDA to perform the procedure.

Leading surgeons in Oxford, England, along with engineers at Biomet, headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana, developed the partial knee system. The implant procedure removes 75% less bone than total knee replacement and allows for a more rapid recovery with less pain and more natural motion.

Unlike total knee replacement involving removal of all the knee joint surfaces, a partial knee replacement replaces only one side of the knee joint. The Oxford® Partial Knee is designed to glide freely through the knee’s range of motion to more closely replicate normal movement. The new procedure allows for a more rapid recovery due to the use if minimally invasive surgery and can generally be performed through a smaller incision.

Dr. Harlan noted, “The free-floating nature of the device potentially provides for a more natural feeling knee, and makes it less likely to wear out over time. Most patients go home within 48 hours of surgery and recover much faster than a traditional total knee replacement. Pain following surgery is much less, with patients gladly trading the minor surgical discomfort for the loss of arthritic pain."

Dr. Harlan also noted that a patient’s return to normal walking is much less dependent on physical therapy, and most patients are using, at most, a cane at their 2 week follow up appointment and have near normal motion.

Surgeons in the U.S. who wish to use the Oxford® System are required by the FDA to attend an advanced instructional course on the device.

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