This interesting piece caught my eye recently: a first-person account of an orthopedic surgeon’s visit to China. Its author relays a great deal about how the sports medicine specialists there accommodate the nation’s high volume of patients and occasionally insufficient supply of tissue:

When it comes to performing biologic orthopedic procedures using human donor tissue, the situation is challenging. Donor tissues are in short supply and the supply chain is not trusted. This has led to high doses of irradiation being used to sterilize the tissues. Unfortunately, the radiation also ruins the quality of the tissue by cooking it. This is possibly one area where we may be able to help by providing an off-the-shelf device solution.

Some feel that using animal tissues might represent at least one solution, although there is no question that improving the medical infrastructure overall would offer some essential relief throughout the nation.

What stands out from the piece is the singular dedication physicians and surgeons around the world bring to their practice, even when limitations render certain best practices difficult to follow.

I am grateful to serve my orthopedic surgery patients in San Diego, and to offer the gold standard in knee surgery and rehabilitation. To learn more about some ways you can relieve knee pain today, please contact a San Diego orthopedic surgeon.