FAQ

Basically everyone who feels inadequately treated for their present femoral prosthesis can apply for the ESKA endo-stem adapted exo-prosthesis care concept according to Dr. Grundei®. However, there are some restrictions that must be observed. For example, the ESKA endo-stem adapted exo-prosthesis care concept type II is not appropriate for patients with vascular system diseases, diabetes and mental limitations.

Exclusion criteria also apply to pregnant women, an incomplete skeletal growth and persons receiving continuous treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs or cortisone preparations. If you are not sure whether the ESKA endo-stem adapted exo-prosthesis care concept is the right care for you, please contact us or one of our clinics.

It may be that even “from one day to the other” a surgery appointment is available for you. The timing of the surgery is always dependent on the preparations that need to be made before the procedure. A desired time of surgery can, of course, also be individually made with us and our clinics.

Of course, surgery always carries some risks, but these are now considered to be very small. You can start from a general and a specific surgical risk. The general risks that exist in any surgical procedure, include thrombosis, the risk of anaesthesia and the increased risk of infection. Also, blood loss is a general risk, however, this can be compensated by the use of blood bags.

A specific risk can be the loosening of the implant among others. Due to the three-dimensional spatial structure of the surface into which the bone can grow completely – this danger is, however, almost excluded. For more specific risks, please check with us or our doctors.

Depending on the bone, soft tissue and scar texture of the residual stump, healing time can always vary from patient to patient. Our experience shows that a surgery lasts between 1 to 2 hours.

The subsequent hospital stay is complete after about a week. Significantly shorter are the operation time and hospital stay as part of the second operation. Following a surgery of about 1 hour, the patient can usually be released after three days in hospital.

The ESKA bridge-module is now firmly attached to the ESKA endo-stem and the care by the qualified and certified prosthetist starts.

First of all, the stump must be “trained”. This is done using a short interim prosthesis, the so-called stump load aid. On a personal scale the skeleton and muscles can be strengthened gradually with more loads. A very good side effect is that the patient gets used to the pull- and lever forces that work on the stump load aid during its use. This familiarization phase is usually completed after 2-3 days.

After approximately 4 weeks of strength exercises comes a follow up examination and the fitting of the exo-prosthesis. After another two weeks, the implant is fully stable. Assisted walk training is usually not necessary; however it can be carried out in consultation with the doctor and the qualified and certified prosthetist under therapeutic supervision. 6-12 months later, the implant is fully incorporated into the bone.

Generally, regular medical check-ups are not required. However, when a patient gets the feeling that something could be wrong with the ESKA endo-stem, consultations and help from the attending doctors and/or qualified and certified prosthetists responsible for statics and dynamics are always available.

First, one should distinguish between the ESKA endo-stem, the ESKA connection-adapter and the exo-components. Regarding the exo-prosthesis, usually consisting of a computer-controlled knee joint, experience tells us that an average life of about 5 years can be assumed. All parts outside the human body should be checked by the qualified and certified prosthetist once a year. As far as the endo-module is concerned, no definite statements can be yet made as the ESKA endo-stem adapted exo-prosthesis care concept has been applied for only 15 years – compared to conventional artificial joints. Based on our experience, the familiarization phase is usually completed after 2-3 days.

After approximately 4 weeks of strength exercises comes a follow up examination and the fitting of the exo-prosthesis. After another two weeks, the implant is stable to carry the full load. Assisted walk training is usually not necessary; however it can be carried out in consultation with the doctor and the qualified and certified prosthetist under therapeutic supervision. 6-12 months later, the implant is fully incorporated into the bone.

Generally, regular medical check-ups are not required. However, when a patient gets the feeling that something could be wrong with the prosthesis, consultations and help from the attending doctors and/or qualified and certified prosthetists are always available.

So far there have been no problems with the reimbursement. Surgery and the implant are charged by the clinics directly to the insurance provider. The exo-fitting is then done by a qualified and certified prosthetist who then submits a cost estimate to the health insurance company. This includes the ESKA connection-adapter as well as exo-prosthetic fitting parts for knee and foot, and is usually fully covered by the insurance provider.