Smith+Nephew Announces New RI.HIP NAVIGATION for Total Hip Arthroplasty

Smith+Nephew, the global medical technology business, announces the launch of the RI.HIP NAVIGATION for total hip arthroplasty (THA). This new technology is designed to help maximize accuracy and reproducibility by delivering patient-specific component alignment, a critical factor for surgeons when assessing individual THA cases.
 
Smith+Nephew acquired Brainlab’s Orthopaedic Joint Reconstruction business in May 2019 to develop new technology for digital surgery. RI.HIP NAVIGATION is a key early deliverable from this acquisition and brings Smith+Nephew’s leading POLAR3 Primary Total Hip System to the Brainlab Kick Navigation platform which is used in more than 500 hospitals globally.
 
The POLAR3 System, driven by OXINIUM Technology, is proven to deliver 98 percent survivorship at eight years, a 35 percent lower revision risk,* and significantly higher patient satisfaction and improvements in Patient Reported Outcome Measurements when compared to the class average for cementless stems (p<0.001).¹**
 
RI.HIP NAVIGATION helps the surgeon take control of individual patient pelvic tilt, leg length and offset measurement. Furthermore, it assists with cup placement by giving a predicted view of the post-op AP X-ray in surgery. Brainlab navigation in total hip arthroplasty has been shown to reduce outliers in cup placement and achieve more consistent leg length restoration, delivering more reproducible results when compared with traditional techniques.^2-4
 
With cost-efficiency and scalability as top requirements, RI.HIP NAVIGATION is designed to help both hospitals and Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) get more from their investment. Utilizing express workflows and image-free technology, it does not require a CT scan and its small footprint is intended to integrate seamlessly in today’s crowded operating rooms.
 
“The integration of the Orthopaedic Joint Reconstruction Business has gone well, and we are delighted to now be able to offer customers an exciting upgrade path with more capabilities,” said Randy Kilburn, senior vice president of Commercial Marketing, Orthopaedics for Smith+Nephew. “We look forward to continuing to collaborate with Brainlab to expand access to these technologies as well as developing further orthopaedic reconstruction applications and sports medicine as well.”
 
RI.HIP NAVIGATION is part of Smith+Nephew’s Real Intelligence brand of enabling technology solutions designed to address clinical challenges through the continuum of care. These include patient engagement, pre-operative planning, digital and robotic surgery, post-operative assessment and outcomes measurement. Every solution in the Real Intelligence digital ecosystem informs the next phase of treatment, and, over time, will enable healthcare providers to use outcomes data to better inform patient-specific treatments.
 
RI.HIP NAVIGATION has received 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CE Mark certification for total hip arthroplasty. It joins the RI.KNEE NAVIGATION for total knee arthroplasty and is available for order in both the United States and Europe.

* This value excludes MoM, unadjusted.
** The data used for this analysis was obtained from the National Joint Registry (“NJR”). The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (“HQIP”), the NJR and/or its contractor, Northgate Public Services (UK) Limited (“NPS”) take no responsibility for the accuracy, currency, reliability and correctness of links or references to other information sources and disclaims all warranties in relation to such data, links and references to the maximum extent permitted by legislation.  
 
References
¹ National Joint Registry for England, Wales and Northern Ireland: POLARSTEM Cementless (Oxinium/XLPE/R3 cup) implant summary report. 14 August 2019. Available at: http://bit.ly/POLAR3_Aug2019.
² Clavé A, Fazilleau F, Cheval D, Williams T, Lefèvre C, Stindel E. Comparison of the reliability of leg length and offset data generated by three hip replacement CAOS systems using EOS imaging. In Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Surgery & Research. 2015;101:647-653.
³ Renkawitz T, Sendtner E, Schuster T, Weber M, Grifka J, Woerner M. Femoral Pinless Length and Offset Measurements During Computer-Assisted, Minimally Invasive Total Hip Arthroplasty. J Arthroplasty. 2014;29(5):1021–1025.
⁴ Ulivi M, Orlandini L, Pascale W, Consonni O, Sansone V. Intraoperative Validation of Navigated Limb Measurements in THA Using a Pinless Femoral Array. J Arthroplasty. 2014;29(5):1026–1029