Coronavirus/COVID-19 and TKR/THR

Having reviewed the information available on WHO (world health organisation), UK national health service (NHS), US health and human services (HHS) and a few other online sources, I can say there is no evidence of Coronavirus or COVID-19 affecting joint replacement patients differently than other people. Therefore, everyone should follow the general precautions such as hand washing, not touching your face, eyes, nose or mouth. Read more: https://www.gov.uk/ Having that in mind, there are 2 points that I’d like to mention for TKR/THR patients to look out for.

• The 1st point is for those patients who are currently in the queue waiting for their joint replacement operation. Just over an hour ago, Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed that the NHS would be cancelling elective surgery (this could include THR/TKR operations). Mr Hancock said, 'we will be cancelling or postponing non-time sensitive elective surgery and the NHS will make a statement about this later today'. If you've had your joint replacement operation booked in for the next few weeks/couple of months, then be prepared for that to be cancelled. I spoke with a couple of patients who were supposed to have their joint replaced in about a month's time, they confirmed that they were contacted last week and were advised that the operation was going to be cancelled for the time being.
• The 2nd point is for those who have recently had a joint replacement and are not feeling confident enough to walk unaided. As I’m sure you’ve heard, people are panic buying in supermarkets and there are long queues at tills. This chaotic situation is quite high-risk for people who have recently had a joint replacement operation. Earlier today, BBC reported, 'an Iceland store in Northern Ireland is opening one hour early to allow older shoppers to buy food when it is quieter amid the coronavirus outbreak. Iceland said it was not a company policy, but it was allowing individual stores to decide how best to meet the needs of shoppers in their local areas'. Apparently, there are now more shops doing the same across the UK. I would definitely recommend using those shops if you've had a joint replacement operation. If your local shops wouldn’t open an hour early, check Google Popular Times and Google Plan Your Visit features to see when is the least busy time to visit your local supermarket.

Lastly, joint replacement candidates are usually patients with severe or end-stage arthritis, who’s condition is normally caused by a variety of problems including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and other inflammatory joint problems. The following information is for patients suffering from arthritis and not the people who have had joint replacement operation. Arthritis Foundation advises regarding likelihood of catching COVID-19 if one has autoimmune or inflammatory arthritis. 'We don’t know yet about this virus', says Kevin Winthrop, MD, a specialist in infectious disease epidemiology at OHSU School of Medicine in Portland, Oregon. 'However, in general, people with autoimmune or inflammatory arthritis who have high disease activity seem to have an increased risk of infections due to greater immune dysregulation'. It’s important to call your doctor right away if you think you’ve been exposed or are experiencing flu-like symptoms. Be sure to state that you are taking immunosuppressive drugs. Read more: https://arthritis.org/