Electronic Sensors Guide Knee Placement

An orthopedic device designed to assist in the placement of knee implants is being tested in 30 hospitals and orthopedic teaching centers in 16 states, according to Jay Pierce, CEO of OrthoSensor, Inc. a company based in Sunrise, Florida. The device is called the OrthoSensor Knee Balancer. According to Pierce, the device contains sensors that help surgeons properly balance a knee implant by transmitting data over a wireless system to a computer screen during the operation. By utilizing the data on the screen, he said, surgeons can make fine adjustments to soft tissue around the knee and optimize the placement of the implant.

As reported by Joseph Mann, Jr., writing for the Miami Herald, Pierce said, “We have combined advanced technology, wireless communications, sensors and microelectronics to produce ‘intelligent orthopedics, ’ devices that improve outcomes in musculoskeletal disease and reduce healthcare costs, ” Pierce has worked in the medical device industry for over 27 years.

Before the OrthoSensor Knee Balancer was available for trials earlier this year, surgeons relied on their knowledge, experience and the “feel” of the implant and the patient’s leg to decide if a new knee was properly balanced, Mann wrote. Martin Roche M.D., chief of orthopedics and director of the Holy Cross Orthopedic Institute in Fort Lauderdale, who developed the idea for the knee balancer and founded OrthoSensor in 2008, said, “When we do knee replacements today, surgeons make their cuts, plant the prosthesis and then test how the prosthesis feels in their hands. That is the art to the procedure.” He indicated that the purpose of the device is to achieve extremely accurate implant placement that will improve function of the new knee and reduce the need for costly revision surgery.

The knee balancer, which costs about $500, is manufactured in Phoenix, Arizona. The device, which is used only once and is then discarded, received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in late 2010. The company reports that it is also working on other implantable devices for orthopedic patients, including tiny units that electronically transmit data to physicians and nurses on internal temperature, blood acidity levels and indicators that can be used to detect infections following orthopedic surgeries, as well as implants that send out sound waves to assess bone density.