Grand Rapids surgical center first in West Michigan to perform outpatient partial knee replacements

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

The Grand Valley Surgical Center is the first in West Michigan to perform partial knee replacement surgery on an outpatient basis. Performing the surgeries on an outpatient basis enables patients to recover quicker in the comfort of their own homes, reduces the amount of anesthesia needed and costs thousands of dollars less than the inpatient procedure.

Since April, Dr. Peter Vasiu, an orthopedic surgeon with Grand Rapids Orthopedics, has performed three successful surgeries at the center, 2680 Leonard Street.

The surgeon removes a limited amount of arthritis-damaged bone from the thigh bone and a limited amount from the upper leg bone where they meet inside the knee. Metal caps provide a smooth surface where the bone was removed; a high density polyethylene spacer keeps the caps from rubbing together and provides cushioning.

"The patient can walk on it right away, and with the nerve blocking anesthesia we use, it should be initially not painful at all," says Dr. Vasiu. "There is some swelling and aching, but patients need only pain pills and it goes away as it heals. The physical therapist goes to the patient's home to provide treatment."

Dr. Vasiu says a very select group of people qualify for the surgery. Prospective patients can have arthritis only inside, outside or under the knee cap,  they have to have intact functioning ligaments, and they can't be morbidly obese.

"Usually when something's newer and exciting, it's more expensive," Dr. Vasiu says. "I think it's a novel thing that this procedure costs about $10,000 less than having it done as an inpatient with a hospital stay."

Source: Dr. Peter Vasiu, DO, Grand Rapids Orthopedics; Brian Mack, Grand Valley Health Plan

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].