Stryker
(NYSE: SYK)
announced today that surgeons completed the first shoulder arthroplasty surgeries in Europe using its Blueprint guidance.
Dr. Julien Berhouet (Tours Hospital, France) and Dr. Lionel Neyton (Centre Orthopédique Santy and Hôpital Privé Jean Mermoz, France) performed the cases. These cases follow the first surgeries using the mixed reality (MR) guidance in North America last month. Blueprint received CE mark at the end of 2023.
Neyton said the system allows him to tailor shoulder joint replacements to the unique needs and anatomy of his patients.
“It’s exciting to be one of the first two hospitals in Europe to use Stryker’s Mixed Reality Guidance System,” said Berhouet. “I am also pleased to be leading a pilot study to investigate the safety and effectiveness of this new technology, alongside three other centres in France.”
Stryker designed its Blueprint MR guidance system to combine software with the Microsoft HoloLens 2 headset. It allows the surgeon to track the position and orientation of surgical instrumentation in the physical environment.
Blueprint MR guidance uses 3D images and widgets to guide surgeons and their instruments. Displayed on the patient and in the surgeon’s line of sight, the images and widgets avoid disrupting the surgical workflow. The FDA cleared this system about a year ago.
“This latest tool builds upon a decade of Blueprint’s presence in Europe, and we continue innovating to ensure the platform has the potential to further benefit surgeons and patients alike,” said Markus Ochs, VP and GM of Stryker’s European Trauma & Extremities division.