How should I

prepare for surgery?

Start now. Take care of yourself. Preparing for wrist replacement begins a few weeks before the actual surgery. This is your time to put your health first, so your recovery from surgery can go as smoothly as possible.

In the weeks ahead

  • Exercise under your doctor’s supervision.

  • Get a physical.

  • Get a dental checkup.

  • Stop smoking.

  • Lose weight if you’re overweight.

Closer to the surgery

  • Arrange a pre-surgery visit with your doctor.

  • Get lab tests that the doctor orders.

  • Complete health forms.

  • Prepare and freeze some meals to make it easier when you get home.

  • Choose and talk to a physical therapist to learn some important activities for after surgery.

  • Talk to your surgeon’s team about if or when to stop your routine medications.

The night before

  • Fast – nothing to eat or drink.

  • Bathe the surgical area with the antiseptic solution provided to you.

The

day

of surgery

Every hospital has its own procedures, but you may expect to follow this basic routine:

  • Arrive at the hospital at your appointment time and complete the registration and admission process.

  • Your care team will assess your vital signs (like blood pressure and temperature) and your general health.

  • You’ll change into a hospital gown and likely settle into a pre-surgery room.

  • Your anesthesiologist and operating room nurse will come in to talk with you, and the team will start the IV (intravenous) line that will be used to administer fluids and medication.

  • Your family can stay with you until the team wheels to the operating room where your orthopaedic surgeon and your surgical team will perform your wrist surgery.

  • After the surgery, you’ll be wheeled into a recovery room where your recovery team will monitor your vital signs until you’re ready for transport to your hospital room.

  • From there, the hospital floor nursing team will continue to monitor your vital signs and your incision site and dressing.

  • You may be surprised how quickly you’ll be evaluated by a physical therapist. The team will get you moving with special post-op activities. You’ll also be allowed to eat and drink as you can tolerate it.

Talk to your

doctor

Like any surgery, joint replacement surgery has serious risks. Your surgeon can explain all of the possible complications of the surgery, as well as side effects, in greater detail.

Important information

VariAx 2 Wrist Fusion System

Indications: The Stryker VariAx 2 Wrist Fusion System is indicated for wrist arthrodesis and fixation of fractures in patients with wrist arthritis or fractures of other small bones of the carpus. Specific indications include: Post-traumatic arthritis of the joints of the wrist, Rheumatoid wrist deformities requiring restoration, Complex carpal instability, Post-septic arthritis of the wrist, Severe unremitting wrist pain related to motion, Brachial plexus nerve palsies, Tumor resection, Spastic deformities, Contra-Indications: The physician’s education, training and professional judgment must be relied upon to choose the most appropriate device and treatment.

For all warnings and precautions please refer to the appropriate labeling.

Conditions presenting an increased risk of failure include: Any active or suspected latent infection or marked local inflammation in or about the affected area, Compromised vascularity that would inhibit adequate blood supply to the fracture or the operative site, Bone stock compromised by disease, infection or prior implantation that can not provide adequate support and/or fixation of the devices, Material sensitivity, documented or suspected, Obesity. An overweight or obese patient can produce loads on the implant that can lead to failure of the fixation of the device or to failure of the device itself, Patients having inadequate tissue coverage over the operative site, Implant utilization that would interfere with anatomical structures or physiological performance, Any mental or neuromuscular disorder which would create an unacceptable risk of fixation failure or complications in postoperative care, Other medical or surgical conditions which would preclude the potential benefit of surgery
Source: VAX-ST-23

ReMotion Total Wrist System

Indications: The ReMotion Total Wrist System is intended for replacement of the painful wrist joint due to rheumatoid arthritis, osteo-arthritis, or post-traumatic arthritis.
Contraindications: Bone, musculature, tendons, or adjacent soft tissue compromised by disease, infection, or prior implantation, which cannot provide adequate support or fixation for the prosthesis.
Known sensitivity to materials used in this device. Skeletal Immaturity
Source: V15114

The information presented is for educational purposes only. Stryker is not dispensing medical advice. Please speak to your doctor to decide which type of surgery is right for you. Only your doctor can make the medical judgment which products and treatments are right for your own individual condition. As with any surgery, joint replacement surgery carries certain risks. Your surgeon will explain all the possible complications of the surgery, as well as side effects. Additionally, the lifetime of a joint replacement product is not infinite and varies with each individual. Also, each patient will experience a different post-operative activity level, depending on their own individual clinical factors. Your doctor will help counsel you about how to best maintain your activities in order to potentially prolong the lifetime of the device.

Stryker Corporation or its divisions or other corporate affiliated entities own, use or have applied for the following trademarks or service marks: ReMotion, Stryker, T2, Together with our customers, we are driven to make healthcare better, VariAx. All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners or holders.

REM-AWI-1_Rev-1, 01-2019

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