MEDICAL RESEARCHERS HAVE issued a warning about the lack of evidence regarding the safety or effectiveness of different types of knee replacement implants currently available, Irish Medical News reports.

In a report published in the Lancet, UK researchers have called for further research into the long-term safety and comparison of different knee implants.

They also criticised the EU for its regulation of new implants, with researcher Prof Andrew Carr of Oxford University saying that the EU is generally much more cautious with new drug types than it is with implants.

Carr warns that the lack of research on knee implants hinders surgeons in providing the best possible outcome for their patients.

The researchers say that the demand for knee replacement surgery is rising and is expected to continue doing so. The development of new strategies to target early-stage osteoarthritis (one of the most common causes of the knee replacement procedures) “will ultimately risk the demand for joint-replacement surgery”, according to the research team.

Read more about the research in the Irish Medical News >