When you have made up your mind for knee replacement surgery, you will be admitted a day before surgery. Your surgeon anaesthetist, physician and physiotherapist will do a complete medical evaluation.
X-ray images will be taken of your knees that help the surgeon plan your surgery. Chest X-rays, ECG, blood and urine test will be done prior to surgery to ensure that you are fit for surgery.
You will be required to scrub the surgical area with soap and water anight before and on the day of surgery, after which your leg will be covered with a sterile drape. You will be transported to the operating room in the morning.
You may have General Anaesthesia or Spinal Anaesthesia with sedation.The duration of surgery for one knee is about 2 hours. Your doctors will talk to your family after the surgery to report your progress.
You will be kept in recovery room for a few hours and then transferred to the room or in some cases to ICU for the monitoring of vital parameters.
You will have drainage tubes at the operative site and the whole limb will be covered with a bandage. After 3-6 hours depending upon the type of anaesthesia given at the time of surgery, you will start with normal diet.
Next morning, you will be transferred to the room and physical therapy usually begins with most of the patients. On 1st post-operative day we will remove the drainage tubes while on 3rd day your dressing will be changed. In some cases a knee immobilizer will be worn. Walking with support & independently using the toilet will be started from 2nd day on wards.