Joint replacement surgery in Korea

By Song Sang-ho

Korea’s status in the global arena has risen greatly. Starting from K-pop and K-dramas, Korea’s fashion, cosmetics and food are attracting people from around the world. Amid this trend, the growth of Korea as a country of medicine is especially remarkable. Reportedly, Korea’s medical industry has earned 180 billion won a year from foreign patients.

Among operations getting the spotlight are the country’s joint replacement surgery. Global medical equipment manufacturer Stryker chose this writer, a Korean doctor, as operating surgeon for its educational DVD on standards for the latest artificial joint replacement surgery “minimal incision preserving muscles and tendons.” The DVD is used in many Asian countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam as well as European states, reflecting the elevated status of Korea in the global medical society.

Many foreign doctors as well as patients are curious about what kind of surgery is used. Recently the focus has been placed on minimal incision joint replacement in artificial joint surgery. The minimal incision is a state-of-the-art operating method that keeps the incision at around 8 to 10 centimeters or smaller, less than half that of previous operations. Thanks to the smaller incision, the method allows surgery without damaging surrounding muscles and tendons.

However, as it is hard to secure a view on the operation area, this surgery is difficult and complicated.

It is important to preserve muscles and tendons surrounding joints as they are closely related to the patient’s recovery. By keeping muscles and tendons unscathed, patients can start rehabilitation as early as four hours after surgery. It also prevents a possible weakening of muscle strength around a joint, improving the patient’s capability of motion. Soft tissue synechia in the surgery area is prevented as well to enhance joint flexibility and flexion angles. Early post-surgery walking also has a positive effect on the patient’s rehabilitation, while significantly lowering concerns over possible side effects caused by thrombotic varicose veins in patients lying in bed all the time, or complications to heart, lungs and digestive organs.

As for hip joint replacement in particular, the so-called “1.4.5 surgical method” utilizing the minimal incision technique has considerably improved patients’ operation prognosis. The 1.4.5 surgery means that it takes one hour for the surgery, four hours before post-surgery walking, and five days before walking independently without any special aid device.

I recently had a male patient who introduced himself as a professor at the Far Eastern Federal University in Russia. He said he chose to come to Korea for his knee surgery alone, even without a guardian. He said he had no reason to hesitate because the country offered cost-effective and quality medical services. He received the minimal incision joint replacement, recovered his health, and went back to Russia two weeks after he came to Korea.

As I treat more foreign patients these days, I feel thankful about my job. And I am very excited and glad when my foreign patients give the thumbs up and say Korea is wonderful, feeling happy to be making a little contribution to upgrading Korea’s image.

Regardless of nationality, I would advise that the key for successful surgery is to have trust in doctors once they decide to receive a surgery. To gain trust from patients, doctors should have built a sufficient amount of surgical experience and consult with their patients many times. In this sense, I feel a greater responsibility as a doctor when I see foreign patients, who built trust only after some online consultations with me and came to Korea alone for surgery.

As Korea’s medical sector gets more attention, it is becoming an emerging competitive edge for the country. I foresee more foreign patients will visit Korea this year. I hope that they will return home with more gifts from Korea on top of the best treatment.

The writer is the president of Wellton Bone & Joint Hospital.