The American Hospital Dubai recently hosted a masterclass for senior orthopaedic surgeons, which included live knee replacement surgery relayed to the audience by a real-time video link.

Over 70 surgeons took part in the two-day event of the Total Joint Replacement Regional Center of Excellence organised by the Zimmer Institute, an independent body created in 2003 to provide professional training for surgeons.

The live surgery, performed by Dr Samih Tarabichi, director of the Total Joint Replacement Regional Center of Excellence, used a knee implant made of bone-friendly Zimmer Trabecular Metal that has elasticity similar to bone, and its cellular structure also resembles bone.

Trabecular Metal facilitates the long-term biologic attachment of orthopedic implants via bone ingrowth and is just starting to be used in knee replacement implants.

“This new metal technology is very new in knee replacement surgery and the demonstration surgery we performed in Dubai was one of the first in the Middle East," said Dr Tarabichi.

“At our Regional Center of Excellence at American Hospital Dubai, we strive for the best and most advanced technology for joint replacement to provide the best outcomes for patients. We have performed more than 5,000 cases at the center, and more than 1,000 in 2011 alone, with around half of our patients coming from countries surrounding the UAE.”

In addition to his distinguished surgical career, Dr Tarabichi has patented two devices in the US which are currently used in joint surgery; he is also the Middle East edition editor of The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

John Cresser-Brown, director of the Zimmer Institute, said: “The Zimmer Institute greatly appreciates and values the collaborative relationship with Dr Tarabichi and the American Hospital Dubai, which we have enjoyed over the years and which provides vital support and development opportunities for surgeons through a review of best practices and demonstrations.”

“Each region develops its own approach to reconstructive knee surgery and the Middle East – as a ground culture – demands a clinical solution that allows patients a high degree of joint flexibility. The demand for this surgery is rising and the TJR Center of Excellence is a rich repository of valuable experience and expertise,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service