My knee replacement was carried out with an epidural pain block, plus sedation. I came down from cloud nine briefly to wonder why someone was doing renovations while surgery was in progress - then realised all the drilling and hammering was my new joint going in. Phew! Back to lala land...
That's great. I rotated through an ortho lab in the 1990s, and the joint replacement kits back then included a sterile, disposable drill that you were just supposed to throw out after the procedure.
I recently saw a knee replacement that used one of those ryobi oscillating cutters (the ones that were super trendy a few years back). Total garbage for home use, but man with a 3D printed cutting guide shaped to fit over the bone, they finished the osteo and arthroplasty portions in ten minutes flat. Just insane what we can accomplish when we combine modern volumetric imaging techniques with coupons for home depot.
I gained an appreciation for how precise/sharp our tools are when I learned microtomy. If you so much as touch the cutting edge with anything outside of its intended use it messes up that area of the blade instantly. Same goes for a nice pair of chef's knives.
I've had 2 ACL reconstructions, but the first knee surgery I had was a scope. The surgeon allowed me to stay awake and it was freaking awesome to watch the little grinder and vacuum at work!