Dr. Anthony McPherron shows X-rays of some of the newest materials used in joint replacements. McPherron is responsible for bringing the technology, as well as the latest therapy, to Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in Plymouth.

While many hospitals across the country are downsizing the number of beds for in-patient use, Plymouth's hospital has actually added beds.

Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in Plymouth has added about nine beds, thanks to a growing specialty that has affected the entire facility: total joint replacements.

Just two years ago, the number of joint replacement surgeries performed in Plymouth averaged about 20 a year.

Today, the average is 20 a month, and the patients are younger than they've ever been in the past.

The increase in surgeries is credited to Dr. Anthony McPherron, a Bremen native who returned to the area about two years ago.

He's the only one in town certified to perform total joint replacements, and his participation with joint replacement manufacturers to design, test and use new technology and surgical methods keeps him on top of developments in the field.

McPherron performed four surgeries Monday morning and another six the Monday before, Suzanne Risner, director of surgical services at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, Plymouth, said last week.

"This has had an impact on the whole hospital," Risner said of the specialty. "There's ambulatory, pre-op (preoperation) testing, lab, rehabilitation ... every department."

The additional in-patient beds were needed, Risner said, to accommodate the growing number of patients who undergo joint replacement surgery on a Monday and then spend some recovery time in the hospital.

"I think this is really important," Risner said. "It shows what we can provide and that people don't have to travel to the big city to get to."

In fact, people from the "big city" are now coming to Plymouth for their services because of McPherron's "very aggressive" efforts to make the local hospital a leader in the field, Risner said.
McPherron, a 1986 Plymouth High School graduate, earned a bachelor of science degree in athletic training/physical education from Indiana State University and a doctorate of osteopathic medicine from Ohio University.

He did his residency at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio, and finished his fellowship in adult reconstructive surgery at the Florida Orthopedic Institute and Tampa General Hospital.
"I love this specialty," said McPherron, his face breaking into a grin familiar to his patients. "I had really wanted to do sports medical orthopedics."

But, McPherron figured, "those people are already healthy" because of the athletic regimen they follow. He began thinking about those people who weren't in as good a shape as young athletes, and he hasn't looked back since.

"I know it probably sounds odd, but this is a fun surgery to do. You go from fixing stuff like this," McPherron said, pointing to an X-ray, "a guy who couldn't walk for years, to a young guy." The example is a Mishawaka firefighter who was able to resume normal duties after surgery.
"You can really change people's lives with these," the doctor said.

McPherron has assisted in development of a new orthopedic cable system and instruments with Orthmatric Inc. of Collierville, Tenn., and in research and ongoing data collection of Zimmer Inc.'s uni-compartmental knee replacement and Nex-Gen Trabecular metal tibial component.
He's a consulting orthopedic surgeon with Sulzer Orthopedics Inc. of Austin, Texas, assisting in the development of the uni-compartmental Natural Knee System and the structuring of the Sulzer national residence course in Austin.

These X-rays show how orthopedic surgery's advancements give patients more and more options today. Dr. Anthony McPherron, founder of Specialty Orthopedics in Plymouth, has seen the number of joint replacement surgeries performed locally jump from an average of 20 per year to about 20 per month.

Most recently, he has been working as a consulting orthopedic surgeon with Portland Orthopedics Inc., headquartered in Sydney, Australia, training other American surgeons in techniques using the Margron Total Hip System. He's also the designing surgeon of a couple of new systems being developed by the company.

"There are a lot of new techniques," said McPherron, enthusiastic about the growing options for candidates needing help for failed hips, knees or shoulders. "But not everybody is a candidate for a specific procedure. The only way to find out is to ask."

He's not kidding about the asking, and explained he answers three to five e-mails a night sent to his Web site at www.specialtyortho.com.

Harriet Wilson, executive director of the Marshall County Chapter of the American Red Cross, knows how asking questions can lead to answers. She had the joints in both knees replaced in July 2001. McPherron used what's called a uni-compartmental knee made by Zimmer Inc., of Warsaw, for her surgery.

The Zimmer unit is used in patients suffering arthritis inside the knee and who have had bone loss, McPherron said.

"I swear by him," Wilson said of McPherron.

Wilson said she had been suffering with constant pain by the time she visited McPherron at his office, Specialty Orthopedics, 1919 Lake Ave.

"I couldn't walk without pain. ... I had pain all night," she said. "I couldn't walk with my grandkids."
When Wilson thought she couldn't stand it any longer, she saw a demonstration at the hospital on total knee joint replacement. The demonstration -- even though it featured a different insert than those she later received -- convinced Wilson it was time to take care of the problem.

"He really took the time to explain it to me," she said. "It's relatively new, and I have a 4-inch piece of chrome in each knee. I had no cartilage. I don't know what I would've done."

There are other options today, too, including a kidney-shaped insert that stays in place without using cement or screws. It's the UniSpacer Knee System made by Sulzer Orthopedics, and, because it is minimally invasive (no bone has to be removed), younger patients are finding it can provide relief and a return to their pre-arthritis activity, McPherron said.

He's planning a national conference on the new therapy associated with these new methods of relief as well. McPherron said he hopes to play host to a multitude of surgeons at Swan Lake Golf Resort sometime next spring so they can learn Sulzer's latest techniques for healing.

"You can't look at them (patients) as a disease," McPherron said. "This isn't a 'failed hip.' This is a person with a failed hip. I know a lot about my patients. ..."

"There are a lot of (different) things out there that can help, and we want the right one for each of our patients," he said.

By ANITA MUNSON, South Bend Tribune
Tribune Photos by ERIN LANTRIP