Page 10 - HFA Dateline 2017 Q1 Spring

A Patient’s Perspective on a

Fresh Osteoarticular Allograft

By Christopher Quesenberry

aving a rare condition like hemophilia has never held me ing the hemophilia management for the operation, my HTC
Hback from pursuing an active lifestyle. The demands of was looped in on everything related to pre- and post-operation
maintaining a high level of activity, however, ultimately result- plans.
ed in joint failure. My right knee has been considered a “target When I elected to go ahead with the procedure, I was placed
joint” since I was in the fifth grade. By the time I reached adult- on a transplant list. I was told that the wait could be anywhere
hood, that knee was failing. Of course there is no good time for from 3-6 months so I would have to be a patient patient! Pa-
joints to collapse, but the timing of my knee failure was less tience has never been my strong suit, but I bided my time and,
than ideal because I was also now in the middle of raising a almost exactly six months from the day I went on the list, I re-
young family. I found in myself in a quandary. Fortunately, I ceived the approval call. The biological materials Dr. Stannard
met Dr. James Stannard, the medical director at the Mizzou would need for my procedure were still being screened
BioJoint Center at the Missouri Orthopaedic Institute for bacterial and viral contaminants, but once they
(MOI). He took the time to discuss my options at cleared, I would need to be at the hospital and
length. He got to know me and what I consid- ready to go in five days. I received the surgery
ered a good quality of life. And he was more notification call on the Thursday right before
familiar with hemophilia than I anticipated, Fourth of July weekend. Do you know how
having performed procedures on others in happy your HTC will be with you when you
the community.
call the afternoon before a holiday week-
Since I am very active, both raising two end that you’re having a major surgery
small children and pursuing active hob- early the following week? Yes, exactly! The
bies like hiking and fishing, we ruled out a final prep was hard on all of us. My wife and
fusion. We also ruled out an artificial knee I needed to secure childcare, as well as help
replacement because the longevity of such a with our dogs and the house, and of course I
device didn’t suit my needs. My clinical team put a lot on the HTC’s shoulders by giving them
was not optimistic that once the first artificial re- such a short window in which to devise a plan. It
placement wore down that I would be able to get another. all worked out, and I will be forever grateful for how ev-
Dr. Stannard and I agreed that my quality of life would be sig- eryone was able to come through on such short notice for me.
nificantly improved if we went with BioJoint’s use of actual Tuesday, July 7, 2015 was the day I reported to the hospital.
biological bone and tendons.
The joint they were going to implant cleared all its tests over
The MOI Team talked to me about the BioJoint option and the weekend. I was excited and nervous. My factor levels were
what it entailed. It was going to mean a lot more work on my where they should be and everything was set to get under-
end, but the upside was the potential for a higher level of func- way. The procedure took 10 hours and in that time the team
tionality and a much more natural joint that could last as long replaced my entire tibial plateau, both menisci, and six frag-
as 25 years, maybe even more. But, BioJoint can’t replace an ments of my femoral condyles (medial and lateral), critical to
artificial knee, and you can’t do either BioJoint or an artifi- providing joint stability. I can remember Dr. Stannard apolo-
cial knee if you first elect a fusion. I needed to decide up-front gizing to me the next day for having put me through such a
which way I wanted to go, because changing the repair/re- long surgery. Those ten hours didn’t bother me in the least:
place strategy down the road was not going to be an option. they meant I could avoid multiple trips to the operating room
down the road!
At the time of my procedure I was 31, so I was truly hoping for
“a one and done” solution. I conferred with my Hemophilia I spent four days in recovery at the hospital, attached to a Con-
Treatment Center, and while they were a bit reluctant, they tinuous Passive Motion machine for 8-10 hours each day. The
eventually offered their seal of approval. As the ones direct- CPM machine moved my knee without my having to engage

10 Dateline Federation | Spring 2017