A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 7 7
When did you realize you had to get your knee
replaced?
One day, the throbbing pain wouldn't go away. I
speak at conferences a lot, so I'm constantly travel-
ing. You know those people who get rides through
the airport? That was me, so I knew it was time.
I'm almost 60 years old. That's on the bottom half
of the young side for knee replacement surgery, but
we're seeing more and more younger patients seeking
out the procedure.
What insights did you gain from the patient's
perspective?
I showed up at the hospital at 6:45 a.m., entered the
OR at 7:30 and was home by 11:00 that morning.
Having the procedure done was an absolute game-
changer for me. I was surprised by how good I felt for
the first 18 hours after surgery. I had no pain at all and
could bend my knee perfectly as soon as I got home. That
blew me away. The pain came on a few days later, but it
never got out of control.
Did the experience change you as a surgeon?
My surgical technique didn't change, but I made signifi-
cant adjustments to how I interact with patients before
surgery. I became excited to improve the pre-op educa-
essons Learned
From My Time on the Table
L
Ira Kirschenbaum, MD
Joint-replacement surgeon turned joint-replacement patient
