First it was the smartphone, then it was the smartwatch. Smartboards have begun to replace chalkboards in school, and many people have other “smart” technologies in their house, like a smart washer and dryer, or even a smart heating and cooling system. It seems like anything that could possibly be improved with advanced technological capabilities is being reexamined, and it appears that the trend has now reached joint replacement surgery.
Last week, surgeons at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York completed a knee replacement operation that saw them also insert a smart implant into the area that will collect and transmit data. In theory, this smartchip will allow the care team to monitor a patient’s recovery from afar.
Medical experts said the smart sensor would be capable of monitoring a number of different measurements, including:
- Steps taken
- Walking speed
- Range of motion
- Related knee function indications
The information will be securely sent to a cloud-based platform for the orthopedic care team to review. And while the sensor won’t eliminate all follow-up appointments, it has the capability to allow a doctor to review a patient’s recovery in real time using objective data pertinent to their care.
The Future Of Smart Surgery
Dr. Pete Sculco, who helped perform the smart sensor joint replacement, said that this real time data could help spot signs of a problem during recovery, which can allow for early intervention and correction.
“In the first several weeks following knee replacement, hard work is required from the patient, and there can be deviations in recovery that can set people on the wrong path. The earlier you identify a patient who may not be progressing as well as you would like, the sooner you can intervene,” Dr. Sculco explained. “This could mean a change in an individual’s physical therapy plan, enhanced patient education, anti-inflammatory medication or the use of an ice machine. When I go into the exam room to see a patient at the 6-week follow-up visit, I should have a very granular understanding of how his or her recovery is going.”
The company that designed the sensor said that it uses the same material and technology as a pacemaker, and that it collects data every day during the first year following surgery. It’s designed to be able to collect data for much longer, as the battery that powers the device is made to last at least 10 years.
Dr. Sculco believes that smartknee joint replacement surgery will become much more common in the future as it will allow patients and providers to achieve better outcomes by adjusting treatment based on the information collected directly from the source. It also can provide much more data than what a surgeon could see during a 30-minute follow-up appointment six weeks after surgery.
So while you can’t book your smartknee with Dr. Botero just yet, we hope that it’s something we could offer in the future if the results continue to show promise. For more information, or to talk to a specialist about your knee pain, give Dr. Botero’s office a call today at (865) 558-4444.
