St. Mary's invests in joint surgery advance
St. Louis Business Journal - by Julia M. Johnson
SSM St. Mary's Health Center is spearheading local use of a computer-guided technology that cuts down on pain and recovery time for patients having joint replacement surgery.
St. Mary's purchased a VectorVision system made by German firm BrainLab AG, a developer of medical technology with U.S. headquarters outside Chicago. VectorVision allows surgeons to place implants in joint surgeries with great precision, which helps implants last longer and causes the patient less discomfort.
Marc Mackey, director of business development for BrainLab, said so far St. Mary's is the only hospital in the St. Louis area that has purchased the VectorVision system, which carries a starting price tag of about $150,000. That figure is for a system with one application, such as knee replacements. If a hospital wants to add further applications, such as hip replacement capabilities, it's another $50,000 to $60,000 per application, Mackey said.
St. John's Regional Medical Center, Joplin, is the only other Missouri hospital that currently has VectorVision, he said.
"Before, knee implants would fall outside the acceptable 6-degree range of placement accuracy about 26 percent of the time," said Dr. David Irvine of Mid-County Orthopedics. He has performed several VectorVision knee replacements at St. Mary's Health Center.
According to St. Mary's, Sister Ann Ware, an 86-year-old nun, was the first patient to undergo computer-aided knee replacement there. Less than a week later, she was able to bend her knee 120 degrees, which normally isn't possible until a couple of weeks after surgery.
VectorVision allows for less invasive surgery and less stress for the patient, Irvine said. The system's benefits also include smaller incisions, less scarring, less blood loss and improved post-operative range of motion for the patient.
Eric Clark, a spokesman for the hospital, said St. Mary's has not yet done an analysis of how much time and money the facility might save per year with the improved knee replacement technology, but it is expected to cut down on the number of follow-up visits a patient needs.
Brian Treece, executive director of the Missouri State Orthopaedic Association, said similar technologies are made by Mahwah, N.J.-based Stryker Orthopaedics and Minneapolis-based Medtronic.
jjohnson@bizjournals.com
Related Industry News |
Latest News |
Most Viewed Stories |
Most Emailed Stories |
