AIIMS doctors execute Golden knee surgery on old woman

New Delhi : A 60-year-old woman got relief from her knee problems on Wednesday after doctor in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) executed a Golden Knee surgery successfully.

“There is no gold in the implant but it is golden in colour. It is actually Cobalt chromium with seven layers of special coatings which act as a barrier between the skin and the metal which ward off allergies and infection,” Dr Rajesh Malhotra, head of the department of Orthopaedics at AIIMS and chief of its Trauma Centre, told news agency PTI.

The patient had approached AIIMS doctors after a complaint of severe pain in her knees. She had undergone a conventional knee replacement surgery in 2015.

The implants had loosened, restricting knees from bearing her body weight. The doctors first removed the old implant and then replaced it with the golden knee.

Cobalt chromium and titanium are among the most commonly used metals and alloys in implants. He said many people had allergic reactions to the various metals used in conventional joint implants, which could also lead to infection.

Cobalt chromium implants also have nickel in them which can cause health problems such as toxicity. “Gold knee is one of the best implants as its wear and tear is very low and it also prevents any allergic reaction,” he said.

It was also capable of taking on extra weight, he said. “It can withstand corrosive environment strains that all artificial knees are exposed to,” he said. The Gold Knee Replacement surgery is about three times more expensive than the conventional one which at AIIMS costs about Rs 1.5 lakh.