Patient-matched technology reduces the amount of time a patient spent under anesthesia, while lowering a patient's hospital stay, according to a study on the value of patient-matched technology for total knee replacement by Smith & Nephew. It also shortens the length of the incision needed for knee replacement surgery.
Since patient-matched technology reduces the number of instrument trays required by 43 percent and lowers more than 20 surgical steps for surgery, it may reduce hospital expenses for knee replacements by cutting sterilization costs.
The study, published in the Journal of Arthroplasty (JOA), an official Journal of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, looked at the VISIONAIRE patient-matched system from Smith & Nephew.
The study claims that VISIONAIRE system enables a surgeon to upload patient's MRI and X-Ray images into Smith & Nephew's Web-based software. A Smith & Nephew engineer uses this data to build surgical instruments that accommodate the shapes and angles of each patient's joint for an aligned implant.
According to the JOA study, surgeries that used patient-matched instruments resulted in implants that were a full degree closer to neutral. The accurate placement of an implant has been shown to reduce implant wear and improve the longevity of an implant.
"Patient-matched technology is driving a shift in thinking for our entire industry," said Scott Elliott, SVP of Smith & Nephew's Global Knee Franchise, in a statement. "This study clearly shows that VISIONAIRE patient-matched technology improves outcomes for patients, simplifies the OR experience for surgeons and pulls cost out of the healthcare system."
"Our position as leaders in patient-matched technology is clear. Moving forward, we'll continue to meet the growing demand for VISIONAIRE instrumentation as we simultaneously develop new applications for its use across our entire portfolio," Elliott added.
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Rajani Baburajan is a contributing editor for HealthTechZone. To read more of Rajani's articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Tammy Wolf
