Panaji, Jun 17 (TOI): In a first for the state, a gold knee replacement surgery was conducted on a 49-year-old woman at Manipal Hospitals, Dona Paula, recently. The patient had been suffering from severe osteoarthritis of the right knee, making it critical for doctors to select an implant that would last longer and have lesser wear and tear.

The ‘gold knee’ has around seven layers of coating over a regular cobalt chromium-coated knee implant. While the regular implant is used for older patients and can last for around 15 years, the life span of the gold knee implant is 30 years and is ideal for younger patients and those with documented allergies, consultant joint replacement surgeon at Manipal Hospitals, Dr Rohan Dessai, said.

Senior orthopaedic surgeon at the hospital, Dr Deepchand Bhandare, said the gold knee has come as a respite to doctors and patients. “With this new implant, a younger patient needn’t go in for another knee surgery later in life,” he said. Dessai said the cost of a gold knee was within the bracket of a normal knee replacement procedure.

People with rheumatoid arthritis and those who have had fractures in their early 20s are among those who receive knee replacement surgeries. Bhandare said the younger population is also prone to osteoarthritis owing to the rising number of childhood obesity cases in Goa.