Avoiding the Heart Attack Risk of Hip and Knee Replacement

Heart attack risk soars in the first month post hip and knee replacement. Consider stem cell therapy as a safer alternative.

Surgeons often recommend hip and knee replacements for patients suffering from chronic hip or knee pain, yet the procedures are notorious for their drawbacks. Many of our patients were told their “bone-on-bone” joints needed to be replaced, but they remained wary because of the grueling recovery, the risk of infection, and other post-operative complications. Investigators of a recent article published in Arthritis and Rheumatology looked at the risk of heart attacks in older patients during the first month following total joint replacement surgery. The findings of the study were surprising and yielded another great reason to consider stem cells instead of joint replacement: heart attack risk soars in the first month following hip and knee replacement.

Findings about Increased Heart Attack Risk Associated with Hip and Knee Replacement

The researchers found a four- to eight-fold increase in heart attacks in the immediate postoperative period following joint replacement surgery.

The researchers found an eight-fold increase in heart attacks in the immediate postoperative period following knee replacement surgery in comparison to a control group that did not undergo the procedure. In the hip replacement group, there was a four-fold increase as compared to the control group. This risk then declined in the six months following surgery, returning to baseline by the sixth month point.

“Our findings suggest that the immediate postoperative risk of myocardial infarction following joint arthroplasty may have been previously underappreciated, and further measures to prevent this serious event may need to be considered,” cautioned the study’s authors. The risk was similar when considering age, sex, duration of osteoarthritis, socioeconomic factors and history of cardiovascular disease.

Stem Cell Treatment, the 21st Century Alternative to Hip and Knee Replacement

Stem cell injections, on the other hand, remain an excellent option in combatting painful arthritis and are a safe, effective alternative that do not carry this increased risk of heart attack.

Joint replacement surgery increases the risk of heart attacks due to the effects of major surgery, anesthetics, and blood loss. On the other hand, stem cell treatments are an out-patient, minimally invasive procedure that requires no general anesthesia, there is no insertion of foreign prosthetics, and there is little to no blood loss.
Many patients do not want to undergo a major invasive surgery and the inherent risks associated with the surgery. Stem cells can potentially provide the relief they are seeking without the risks and recovery time.
The stem cells used in the procedure are the patient’s own stem cells and carry no risk of rejection. The stem cells come from a patient’s own adult fat tissue and bone marrow. On the other hand, a joint replacement introduces foreign prosthetics into the body that may cause infection throughout a patient’s lifetime.

After a stem cell procedure, patient’s can walk out of the office on their own. The downtime is very minimal. ThriveMD recommends no impact sports for one month but a patient can walk immediately after the treatment. Light exercise can be resumed after one week. Patients typically notice improvement in 2-12 weeks – patients who used stem cell therapy for partial ACL tears are great examples.
In the past, the term bone-on-bone meant a joint replacement was inevitable. Today, many of the joints described as bone-on-bone are still excellent candidates for stem cell treatments. There is a very broad range in the degree of degeneration when the term bone-on-bone is used.
Stem cell procedures are performed in under 3 hours.

*Individual patient results may vary. Contact us today to find out if stem cell therapy may be able to help you.

Avoiding the Heart Attack Risk Associated with Hip and Knee Replacement

Findings about Increased Heart Attack Risk Associated with Hip and Knee Replacement

Stem Cell Treatment, the 21st Century Alternative to Hip and Knee Replacement

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