The first knee replacement surgeries were performed at Vitebsk Regional Hospital

September 14, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The first total knee replacement surgeries have been successfully performed at the Vitebsk Regional Clinical Hospital. Director of the National Research Center for Traumatology and Orthopedics Alexander Biletsky and Head of the Orthopedic Department of the Center Pavel Skakun participated in the surgeries, the Head of the Traumatology Department of the clinic, Chief Freelance Traumatologist of the Vitebsk Region Andrey Krylov told a BELTA correspondent. Knee joint replacement is an effective and often the only way to restore the mobility functions of a limb. The surgery is performed only for vital indications for people over 50 years of age with arthrosis and arthritis, the doctor explained. Previously, patients had to go to Minsk for prosthetics, and they had to wait 2-3 years for their turn for surgery. In the Vitebsk region, 89 patients are on the waiting list. Andrey Krylov hopes that the introduction of knee joint replacement into the practice of Vitebsk traumatologists will make it possible to eliminate the waiting list for surgery within 1.5 years. This year, 30 prostheses have been purchased at the expense of the regional budget. Traumatologists have begun preparing the first patients on the waiting list for subsequent surgeries. In addition to knee joint replacement, hip joint replacement has been practiced at the regional hospital for eight years. Since the beginning of this year, 105 such operations have been performed. The development of high-tech surgeries in the regions is enshrined in the state program for demographic security. Along with Vitebsk doctors, total knee replacement is successfully performed by doctors in Gomel, Brest, and Mogilev. -0-