Innovation that empowers outcomes
Message from Jim Nevelos     

Vice President, Advanced Technology & Research
Jim Nevelos

When Dr. Homer Stryker, an orthopaedic surgeon from Kalamazoo, Michigan, found that certain medical products were not meeting his patients’ needs, he invented new ones and pursued innovative ideas, guided by better patient outcomes. This desire to improve healthcare through innovation still drives us today.   

From advanced devices and software that transform care settings into state-of-the-art environments, to advanced visualization that guides surgeons and robotics with insightful analytics, Stryker’s Advanced Digital Healthcare is driving improved clinical, operational and financial outcomes across the continuum of care.

Within our own Joint Replacement division, Mako SmartRobotics™, VeraSense® for Triathlon® Sensor-Assisted Technology and our Insightful Data Analytics platforms are just a few examples of Advanced Digital Healthcare products and solutions that help you know more. We’ll continue to share more about Stryker’s Advanced Digital Healthcare at the upcoming AAHKS meeting as well as in our next newsletter, including an introduction to VeraSense for Triathlon.   

As we think about innovation, this year's Annual American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons was a wonderful opportunity to showcase innovation in orthopaedics, to learn from the latest clinical research, and, notably, a chance to reconnect with colleagues and industry thought leaders in person again. Looking back at the posters and podium presentations shared at the most recent AAOS meeting, there are some clear evidence-based trends occurring: robotics, 3D printing of implants and shifts in fixation in both hip and knee replacement.   

The clinical benefits of Mako are now supported by over 250 peer reviewed publications, however an additional finding has been less well reported.  Joint replacement surgery can take a physical and mental toll on surgeons.  We have previously presented ergonomic data on Mako Total Knee and at the AAOS meeting, Dr. Mont presented data on Mako Total Hip which demonstrated lower physical and mental demand on the surgeons for the majority of tasks performed.1

In terms of 3D printing, there have been several publications on the 3D-printed Tritanium tibial component, but at AAOS, Dr. Westrich presented two-year data from a study with 352 patient cases on the 3D-printed Trident II acetabular component with a survival rate of 99.44% at two years and also there were no radiolucencies greater than 2mm in 97.8% of cases, which improved to 100% at two years, demonstrating excellent early fixation.2  Finally, there continues to be more and more data in support of cemented stems in the older patient population. Dr. Abdel presented ten-year data on the Exeter cemented stem and found that the average age of the patients was 77 years, and the group was skewed toward females (77%).3  The 10-year cumulative incidence of any femoral component revision was 4%, and reoperation at 10%.  Periprosthetic fractures were notably low with a 10-year cumulative incidence of 2.3%.  There were no cases of aseptic loosening or osteolysis reported.  

In the link below, I’ve shared a few highlighted posters along with a link to the full AAOS poster archive.1-5   

We continue to conduct robust research around our products and applications and look forward to a great AAHKS meeting. We have many great studies being presented there including our first presentation on predicting surgical time based on data collected during Mako procedures. Data from the AJRR on the Tritanium tibia and patella with the latter being selected as one of the top 30 posters.  

On a final note, I want to take this opportunity to personally invite you to join us at the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas. At our booth, meeting attendees will be able to experience surgeon-led demos featuring Mako Total Hip and Mako Total Knee SmartRobotics™ along with our latest offerings, VeraSense for Triathlon and the MotionSense wearable. Additionally, we’re hosting a surgeon-led Mako SmartRobotics™ symposium, focused on functional positioning in THA and TKA. Finally, join us in our Advanced Digital Healthcare Lounge for hands-on demos and discussion to help you “know more.” I hope to see you there!  Thank you for all you do for your patients and the communities you serve.  

All the best, 
Jim

 

As always, you may visit the full AAOS Annual Meeting ePoster archive for more posters:

Change in preoperative pelvic position in Total Hip Arthroplasty patients through functional range of motion.

Patrick Benjamin O'Connor, MBBS, CHERMSIDE, QLD, Australia; Thomas Hendrik Donnelly, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; Christina Ilona Esposito, PhD, St Leonards, NSW, Australia; James McGree, PhD, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; Nikola Maree Poli, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; William John Donnelly, FRACS, Brisbane, QLD, Australia;

The Impact of Functional Combined Anteversion on Hip ROM. A New Optimal Zone to Reduce Risk of Impingement in Total Hip Arthroplasty.

Matthew T Thompson, Fort Lauderdale, FL; Patrick Benjamin O'Connor, MBBS, CHERMSIDE, QLD, Australia; Christina Ilona Esposito, PhD, St Leonards, NSW, Australia; Thomas Hendrik Donnelly, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; William John Donnelly, FRACS, Brisbane, QLD, Australia;

Physical and Mental Demand During Total Hip Arthroplasty.

Alexandra L. Valentino, BS; Laura Scholl, MS; Emily L. Hampp, PhD; Kevin Abbruzzese, PhD; Hytham S. Salem, MD; Ryan Smith, MD; Zackary O. Byrd, MD; Michael A. Mont, M

Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes in Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty Utilizing a Porous Acetabular Shell Developed with Additive Manufacturing.

Geoffrey H Westrich, MD, FAAOS, New York, NY; Benjamin G. Domb, MD,FAAOS, Glencoe, IL; Jillian Mohn, BS, Mahwah,NJ; Alice Margaret Cruz, BS, Mahwah, NJ

Polished Tapered Cemented Stem for Total Hip Arthroplasty in a North American Population Provides Excellent Results.

Elizabeth Gausden, MD, Rochester, MN; Matthew Philip Abdel, MD,FAAOS, Rochester, MN; Tad M Mabry, MD,FAAOS, Rochester, MN; Daniel J Berry, MD, FAAOS, Rochester, MN; Robert T Trousdale, MD,FAAOS, Rochester, MN; Rafael Jose Sierra,MD,FAAOS, Rochester, MN

References:

  1. Valentino A., Scholl L., Hampp E., Abbruzzeze K., Salem H., Smith R., O Byrd Z., Mont M. Physical and Mental Demand During Total Hip Arthroplasty. Poster presentation at the Annual Meeting of the America Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons 2021. August 31st – September 3rd, San Diego. US.
  2. Westrich G., Domb B., Mohn J., Cruz A. Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes in Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty Utilizing a Porous Acetabular Shell Developed with Additive Manufacturing. Poster presentation at the  Annual Meeting of the America Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons 2021. August 31st – September 3rd, San Diego. US. 
  3. Gausden E., Abdel M., Mabry T., Berry D., Trousdale R., Sierra R. Polished Tapered Cemented Stem for Total Hip Arthroplasty in a North American Population Provides Excellent Results. Poster presentation at the Annual Meeting of the America Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons 2021. August 31st – September 3rd, San Diego. US.  
  4. Thompson M., O Connor P., Esposito C., Donnelly T., Donnelly W. The Impact of Functional Combined Anteversion on Hip Range-of-Motion: A New Optimal Zone to Reduce Risk of Impingement in Total Hip Arthroplasty. Poster presentation at the Annual Meeting of the America Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons 2021. August 31st – September 3rd, San Diego. US.  
  5. O'Connor B., Donnelly T., Esposito C., McGree J., Poli N., Donnelly W. Change in Preoperative Pelvic Position in Total Hip Arthroplasty Patients through Functional Range of Motion. Poster presentation at the Annual Meeting of the America Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons 2021. August 31st – September 3rd, San Diego. US.