218. F.D.A. Approves New Artificial Knee Implants for Women pot

F.D.A. Approves New Artificial Knee Implants for Women
Written by Cynthia Kirk
23 May 2006
I’m Bob Doughty with the VOA Special English HEALTH REPORT.
Women who have problems with artificial knee implants may get some help soon. The United States
Food and Drug Administration recently approved a replacement knee designed especially for
women.
About four hundred thousand people in the United States have knee
replacement operations each year. More than sixty percent of them are
women.
People who have damaged cartilage in their knees are good candidates for a replacement operation.
Cartilage is a kind of soft connective tissue. Injuries or disease may cause cartilage loss. When
cartilage is gone in the knee, bones rubbing together may restrict movement and cause severe pain.
In a replacement operation, doctors remove damaged parts of the thighbone, the shinbone and the
kneecap. They replace the damaged parts with parts made of metal and plastic.
Studies have shown that a knee implant lasts about fifteen years. Women report more problems with
implants than men do. Problems include pain and difficulty moving the knee. In some cases, another
operation is needed. Experts believe this is because makers of knee implants are more concerned
about size than shape. A man’s knee is shaped differently than a woman’s. Men usually have shorter
and wider knees. Women’s knees are smaller and narrower.
Makers of the new knee implant say it is shaped to fit a woman’s bone structure. They say women
should experience less pain and recover more quickly. Currently, complete recovery can last three
months or longer. Makers of the new product say it will also make knee replacement operations easier
to carry out.
Zimmer Holdings Incorporated built the new Gender Solutions knee. The company already makes
other replacement knees and hips.
Nine medical experts helped to design the Gender Solutions knee. One of them is Kim Bertin of
L.D.S. Hospital in Utah. He compared existing knee implants to putting men’s shoes on women’s
feet.
Other experts question the effectiveness of the new knee. They believe it is just a marketing tool to
interest women. No studies have shown that the new implant works better than other products.

Also, Zimmer has competition. Another company, Stryker Orthopedics, says it makes a knee to fit
both men and women.
This VOA Special English HEALTH REPORT was written by Cynthia Kirk. I’m Bob Doughty.