Surgeons at St. Bernards Medical Center installed the region’s first smart knee implant Wednesday, improving monitoring and outcomes for patients recovering from total knee replacement surgeries.
Using a system known as Persona IQ®, the world’s only smart knee implant granted “De Novo” status by the FDA for total knee replacement surgery, surgeons and their care teams measure patients’ daily motion, step counts, walking speeds and other gait metrics. These measurements monitor how well patients heal, recover and rehabilitate, allowing healthcare personnel to intervene immediately should an issue arise.
Brian Dickson, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon with Jonesboro Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine (JOSM) practicing at St. Bernards Medical Center, performed the initial implant. He said the smart system builds upon a foundation of orthopedic investments at St. Bernards.
“It all starts with St. Bernards Total Joint Advantage program, where we have led the region in crafting custom recovery programs for joint patients,” Dr. Dickson said. “For example, Total Joint Advantage includes robotic surgical options for total knee replacements and mobile applications that manage a patient’s recovery process. We now offer this smart knee implant, which gives our surgeons direct access to see how well a patient moves and recovers post-surgery.”
The smart system features a sensor that records and wirelessly transmits a wide range of gait data from the knee implant to a patient’s personal base station at home. It then delivers the data securely to a HIPAA compliant cloud-based platform accessed only by the patient and surgeon. The system then works with a remote care management platform that tracks pre- and post-operative mobility metrics. Care teams use these metrics to create and modify custom rehabilitation programs.
For more information, including provider and location options, visit https://www.stbernards.info/services/orthopedics, or call the St. Bernards Healthline at 870.207.7300.