In our latest example of our closer collaboration with Barts Health, Rej Bhumbra, trauma and orthopaedic consultant network director, explains how we combined forces to perform the first joint revision knee surgery (the replacement of some or all prosthetic implants following a total knee replacement) to help a patient get treated more quickly.

Thanks to this partnership working through the Orthopaedic North East London Surgery Network, surgeons were able to bring together their respective expertise and 73 year-old Krystyna is now well on the road to recovery.

Here’s what Rej had to say:

“73-year-old, Krystyna Solomianko, lives in Romford and was awaiting a knee replacement revision at King George Hospital in Ilford and had previously been diagnosed with hyper obstructive myopathy (heart ailment). What initially may have been viewed as a straightforward orthopaedic procedure now became a medically and anaesthetically more complex operation and carried additional risks that had to be carefully managed. Through the collaboration we were able to maximise safety and optimise care for Ms Solomianko.

Through careful consideration within the network, the decision was made for Mr Sean Masterson from King George Hospital to carry out the surgery at The Royal London Hospital with the arthroplasty (joint surgery) lead, Mr Jonnie Ward. Senior anaesthetic cover was also on standby should the patient experience any difficulty with their existing heart issues during their surgical procedure. Establishing and co-ordinating a process like this could take more than 18 months to finalise, often requiring a referral by the GP to another hospital. However, working in closer collaboration with like-minded colleagues within the new NEL network, allowed us to complete the surgery within three months.

Krystyna Solomianko said: “I’m so grateful for Mr Ward and Mr Masterson for my surgery and how smooth the process was. I was worried I would have to wait much longer to have my knee surgery – which was significantly impacting my quality of life and being able to get out and about. I’m doing much better now and have both hospitals to thank for that.”

This is a great example of how we can demonstrate the benefits of working closer with our colleagues across departments and specialties, not only within Barts Health but also BHRUT and the direct benefits this brings to patients. The efforts from our anaesthetic team to make this happen was exceptional and I would like to extend my thanks to Dr Mev Gooneratne, Dr Andrew Birch and Dr Mit Lahiri and the care provided by the staff on the temporary High Dependency Unit at The Royal London.