Smith+Nephew (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN) has published a systemic literature review that backs its Visionaire patient-specific instrumentation for knee surgeries.
The research was published online by the Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery. It included a meta-analysis of 25 relevant studies that compared Visionaire-enabled total knee arthroplasty (TKA) with conventional instrumentation-enabled TKA.
The analysis demonstrated improvements in alignment accuracy, efficiency in surgical procedures, and reduction in length of hospital stay in comparison with conventional instrumentation, London-based Smith+Nephew said in a news release posted March 6. (The announcement comes the same week as AAOS’s 2023 annual meeting in Las Vegas.)
People who received a total knee arthroplasty with Visionaire experienced benefits including:
- A 40% reduction in the odds of an outlier in the mechanical axis;
- More efficient operations, with reductions in operating room time, turnover time, and tourniquet time;
- A 53% reduction in the odds of requiring a blood transfusion;
- An 11.1% reduction in the mean length of hospital stay.
In addition, the meta-analysis included evidence of reduced odds of mechanical axis outliers versus conventional instrumentation. Accurate alignment correlates with long-term arthroplasty survivorship, according to S+N.
More about Smith+Nephew’s Visionaire
Smith+Nephew’s Visionaire patient-specific instrumentation includes customized cutting guides designed to reduce the number of steps and surgical instruments needed in a TKA. The goal is a simplified surgical environment.
S+N says there are no in-hospital incremental costs for payors with Visionaire. Plus, there are post-acute cost savings due to a reduction in the likelihood of readmissions.
The guides are designed from surgeon-specific preferences, then developed by a dedicated engineer, allowing for personalized performance.
“Utilizing Smith+Nephew’s Visionaire preoperative planning and intraoperative cutting guides has allowed me to be more accurate, less invasive, and more efficient with both inpatient and outpatient total knee replacements,” said Dr. Ravi Bashyal, orthopedic surgeon and director of Outpatient Hip and Knee Replacement Surgery at the Chicago-area NorthShore University HealthSystem. “This has resulted in improved outcomes, streamlined tray utilization, and ultimately a happier, more satisfied surgeon and patients.”