From knee replacement to sinus surgery: Procedures now offered as day surgery in Singapore

1. DOUBLE KNEE REPLACEMENT

If you’re thinking, getting both knees operated on in one singular session can’t be a popular choice for patients with severe, chronic knee pain, HMI Medical Centre has performed over 200 total knee replacement (TKR) surgeries since 2023. It has even seen an average year-on-year increase of about 65 per cent over the three-year period in TKR procedures. And with minimally invasive TKR, you can be discharged in less than 16 hours after having both of your knees operated on. 

Traditionally, a vertical 20cm-to-25cm incision is made on the front of the knee to expose the joint. This allows the surgeon to remove the damaged cartilage surfaces and replace them with implants, according to OrthoInfo, a patient education website by the American Academy Of Orthopaedic Surgeons. 

In minimally invasive TKR, noted the website, the incision is shorter, typically 10cm to 15cm – and some techniques used can avoid trauma to the muscles and tendon. 

The minimally invasive version still involves fixing an artificial cap on the damaged surfaces of the knee joint, “much like crowning or capping of damaged teeth”, said Dr Chia. However, “the surgery is less invasive and damages less body tissue, so recovery is quicker and the time taken for the procedure is also quicker. Hence, it is much less painful,” he said.