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Ed Yeates ReportingFor the first time, a new artificial knee has been designed specifically for a woman. And last night, here in Salt Lake City, a Wyoming woman became only the second patient in the world to get the implant.
Up until today, everyone who needed a knee replacement would get a man's knee. But only weeks ago, the FDA approved an artificial knee designed specifically for a woman.
Last night, at LDS Hospital, 78-year-old Rosemarie Brinkerhoff became only the second woman in the world to get the new knee. It is the Gender Solutions Knee, designed specifically to fit the unique anatomy of a woman. And there IS a difference.
A woman's knee has a thinner shape. It's longer front to back and narrower from side to side. The man's knee is short and squatty -- shorter from front to back, wider from side to side.
Kim Bertin, M.D., Orthopedic Surgeon, LDS Hospital: "It turns out that what we've really been doing is putting men's shoes on women's feet for a long time, as far as knee replacements are concerned."
Aaron Hoffman, M.D., Orthopedics, University of Utah: "If we think back 25 years ago, we had knees that weren't even left and right. 25 years ago, we figured you had to have left and rights. 25 years later, we find out you have to have male and female."
Rosemarie is doing very well, compared to Christmas last year when her painful, deteriorating knee was falling apart.
Rosemarie Brinkerhoff: "Oh, I've been, think I've been dealing with it for several years. And in December it just kind of blew up."
Rosemarie's new metallic knee is gender based just for her, even though the changes are subtle. On the right, it's thinner and narrower. And the groove where the knee cap tracks is nine degrees, compared to six degrees on the male knee.
She'll have less bleeding, less pain, and a faster recovery. The fit all the way around is simply much better.
Eight orthopedic surgeons and a biomedical engineer collaborated on the new knee. Dr. Bertin at LDS Hospital and Dr. Hoffman at the University of Utah were part of that design team.
