Florida Hospital Winter Park (see more articles like this)

*Video with interviews available today*

Violet Haut, 72, loves to go swimming, especially in the summer. But ever since she hurt her knee, she has had difficulty even walking. But, thanks to a new study at Florida Hospital Winter Park, Haut hopes to be back in the water swimming within weeks. Dr. Richard Konsens and Florida Hospital Winter Park are one of 14 sites around the country studying two different types of the high-tech plastic that makes knee replacements possible, hopefully identifying which will last longer.

Total knee replacement has been used for decades to provide relief from the pain and immobility of arthritis and other crippling joint problems. The diseased joint is removed and replaced with an implant. The implant components are made of metal and a special type of medical plastic called polyethylene. The study will compare the clinical and functional outcomes of two types of polyethylene:  “cross-linked” polyethylene and another type called GVF, which has been the standard used successfully for many years.

Crosslinking is a process in which plastic molecules are bonded together in an effort to produce a stronger material with greater ability to resist wear. The theory is that reduced wear could enhance performance for the knee implant.

“The laboratory tests use knee simulators to put the implants through millions of simulated footsteps,” Dr. Konsens said. “The data shows a decrease in wear using the cross-linked material. Our goal now with this national study is to test that with real-world conditions.”

In the study of 100 local patients, Dr. Konsens will give all the study patients the same type of implant, called the PFC® Sigma Total Knee System, made by DePuy, a Johnson & Johnson company, which is sponsoring the study. Half of the patients will receive an implant with the cross-linked plastic, and half will receive the GVF type. Patient outcomes will then be monitored over a five-year period.