KUALA LUMPUR (April 11): Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC) has performed the first total knee replacement (TKR) surgery as a day care service in Malaysia.

In a statement on Monday (April 11), SJMC said the revolutionary procedure enables patients to walk home on the day of their TKR surgery.

It said the TKR procedure is commonly performed on patients with degenerated knees due to medical conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or post-traumatic arthritis as a result of an injury.

SJMC consultant orthopaedic surgeon Datuk Dr Siva Kumar Ariaretnam said the success stems from two decades of careful technical improvements and adaptations to improve the overall patient experience while lowering complication rates and improving longevity of the implants.

He said the first case of day care TKR in Malaysia was performed on a 59-year-old patient in November 2021 by a team of experienced medical professionals from SJMC.

He said the patient sought treatment from SJMC for her severe knee osteoarthritis.