Dr. Aditya Khemka introduces Osseointegration surgery for amputees in India at Hinduja Healthcare Surgical

Mumbai, 26^th July 2018: Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr. Aditya Khemka plans to set up a centre of excellence for Osseointegration in India at Hinduja Healthcare Surgical, Khar. Through this surgery Dr. Khemka and the Osseointegration Group of Australia provide above- and below-knee amputees with a leg replacement using the OGAP-OPL implant which is designed to be as close to the human anatomy as possible.

The surgery involves an implant being inserted into an amputee’s femur which, when integrated with the bone allows for a safe connection between the stump and the lower prosthesis.

The last three decades have seen the development of newer prosthetic components enabling amputees to mobilise better. However, there hasn’t been much focus on the sleeve used to attach prosthetics to the body. Patients using sockets suffer from rashes, ulcers, excessive perspiration, piston-ing, and diurnal variations, along with a large amount of time and effort to don the prosthetic.  

Osseointegration surgery provides amputees with greater mobility and quality of life.  The surgical procedure sees a titanium rod implanted directly into an amputee's bone, creating an interface that connects directly onto a prosthetic limb. The resulting bionic leg – in which bone and muscle grow around the upper part of the rod and a system of hydraulics, and sensors drive the lower limb – allows patients almost the same range of motion and movement as an able-bodied person.

Osseointegration can be achieved in amputees as a single or a two-stage procedure over 6 weeks. Because the leg is connected to the skeleton, patients often remark they can ‘feel the ground’ under their artificial foot for the first time and are able to walk in unknown places in the dark. It bears little resemblance to traditional prosthetics, which can be painful, impractical and cumbersome and it improves the quality of life. "They go from being a disabled person to someone who is special - with something extra" Dr Khemka says.

Para-Olympians, and American and British military personnel are among those who have benefited from the technique. Patients have taken this leg parachuting, deep sea diving, working on a farm and mountain climbing. “Osseointegration or bionic surgery as it is popularly referred to is the need of the hour, and moreover to ever increasing amputee population in India,” says Dr. Khemka. He plans to set up a centre of excellence for osseointegration in the latter half of 2018.