Smith & Nephew Begins Series of Live Surgey Webcasts

Smith & Nephew is kicking off a series of surgical webcasts featuring one of the company’s newest implants.

On May 1, the company’s Journey II CR (cruciate-retaining) knee system will be implanted by orthopedic surgeon David Rovinsky, M.D., of Wilcox Health at the Kauai Medical Clinic in Lihue, Hawaii. Michael Ries, M.D., chief of the University of California at San Francisco Arthroplasty Service, will moderate throughout the event.

According to the company, viewers will be encouraged to join live and ask questions during the webcast, which the surgeons will answer live immediately following the procedure.

The Journey II CR was launched at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) annual meeting in New Orleans in March. The new implant is an extension of the Journey II BCS knee that was launched at last year’s AAOS meeting.

Smith & Nephew officials claim that the Journey II CR is the first total knee replacement that spares the posterior cruciate ligament in order to provide improved kinematics and increased patient satisfaction through what the company calls “Physiological Matching” technology—an approach to implant development that uses the company’s Lifemod human simulation software to analyze the bone, ligament and muscle forces that impact the knee and account for those forces within the design of an implant intended to help restore anatomic shapes and normal motion.

The posterior cruciate ligament provides support and stable movement of the knee. In total knee replacement surgery, the posterior cruciate ligament can be kept in place or removed. This choice depends on the condition of the ligament, the type of total knee replacement selected or preference of the surgeon. When the ligament is removed, a special peg is used to provide stability and give the knee forward and backward movement with the tibia stabilized in relation to the femur. Recent studies have evaluated outcomes of procedures that keep the PCLand those that remove it.

This will be the first of a series of three live surgeries featuring Journey II BCS and Journey II CR. In May, a second surgery will feature Journey II BCS and highlight Smith & Nephew’s special gap balancing tool. In June, a third surgery will feature the first live viewing of Journey II CR showcasing Smith & Nephew’s Visionaire patient-matched technology.

For more information about the webcast, visit smithnephewlivesurgery.com.

London, UK-based Smith & Nephew had more than $4.3 billion in sales in 2013. In addition to the company’s orthopedic reconstruction portfolio, it also has wound management, sports medicine, and trauma and extremities divisions.