Despite the severity of the procedure, amputee patients are generally treated according to the general orthopaedic criteria of follow-up treatment with a flat-rate case fee and an average length of stay of about three weeks. But affected individuals often need more time after an amputation. National guidelines for care recommend rehabilitation for five to eight weeks in order to process the operation psychologically, adjust the fit of the prosthesis and learn how to safely use it. In addition, microprocessor-controlled knee joints with electronically supported swing and stance phase resistance are now available for patients who have undergone amputations in the area of the thigh, which give affected individuals a better gait pattern and significantly enhanced safety.
The aim of the study is to demonstrate that the mobility and independence of these severely affected individuals can be increased if rehabilitation according to guidelines and the prosthesis is equipped with an Ottobock KENEVO knee joint.
Dr André M. Schmidt, Group CEO of MEDIAN, says: "To always provide our patients with the best possible treatment, MEDIAN also relies on collaboration with strong partners such as Ottobock. Medical and technical expertise go hand in hand in the multicentre study now launched. True to MEDIAN's motto "Living Life", we are improving care and quality of life for people with amputations in Germany."
"We always take a holistic approach to patient care, because our products can achieve their full effect even more if they are integrated into a modern, cross-sectoral treatment process. That's why we're delighted to be able to contribute to improving the rehabilitation of people with amputations by cooperating with the MEDIAN clinics and using the latest digital technologies," said Oliver Jakobi, CEO of Ottobock.
Dr Johannes Schröter, Medical Director and head of orthopaedics at the MEDIAN Reha-Zentrum Wiesbaden Sonnenberg, explains: "Our specialised, upgraded treatment facilitates greater participation for patients, who are then able to independently manage their everyday lives again. That the patients involved in our study use the electronically controlled prosthetic knee joint from Ottobock, state-of-the-art prosthetics, gives them added safety."
"This enhanced safety ensures that people who have limited mobility in rehabilitation in particular can quickly build up confidence in their prosthetic knee joint," explains Dr Andreas Hahn, head of Clinical Research at Ottobock's Global Clinical Research unit and continues: "It recognises the swing phase in the movement pattern even when, for example, walking with devices and also responds to irregularities. Since it can be individually adapted to the patient in the rehabilitation process, it is ideally suited for use in the context of the research project with the MEDIAN Reha-Zentrum Wiesbaden Sonnenberg."
Nine other MEDIAN clinics serve as control clinics for the research project. With their consent, transfemoral amputees regardless of their prosthetic fitting are included in the study. Data collection started in January 2023 and is designed to last two years.
REHACARE.com; Source: Ottobock
