Smith and Nephew signs computer-assisted surgery development agreement with BrainLAB

Citation

(2003), "Smith and Nephew signs computer-assisted surgery development agreement with BrainLAB", Industrial Robot, Vol. 30 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2003.04930aab.003

Smith and Nephew signs computer-assisted surgery development agreement with BrainLAB

Smith and Nephew signs computer-assisted surgery development agreement with BrainLAB

Keywords: Medical, Robotics

Smith and Nephew, the global advanced medical devices group, has signed a 5-year agreement with software-driven medical equipment provider BrainLAB. The agreement enables the companies to collaborate on the development of computer-navigated trauma and reconstructive orthopaedic applications and marks Smith and Nephew’s second major step in its strategy to develop an open-platform structure for computer-assisted orthopaedic surgical applications.

“Computer-assisted surgery is the enabler of truly less invasive orthopaedic procedures,” said Scott Elliott, Smith and Nephew’s Vice President of computer-assisted surgery. “This agreement allows us to integrate our products into BrainLAB’s newest software developments as we jointly develop the next generation of innovative, minimally invasive applications for knees, hips and trauma. This technology will ultimately enable surgeons to achieve optimal outcomes with a smaller incision by maintaining the visibility currently gained through standard incision lengths.”

Smith and Nephew has already performed more than 150 computer-assisted total knee replacement surgeries in the US, Europe, Australia and Japan as a result of an ongoing development effort with Medtronic SNT. The company has submitted applications for 510 k clearance for fluoroscopy-based hip and additional trauma applications. Clinical evaluations for the minimally invasive trauma application have begun at 17 sites in the US and Europe. Clinical evaluations for computer-assisted hip surgery will begin in October. Smith and Nephew estimates its first applications developed with BrainLAB that will be available during the second quarter of 2003.

BrainLAB has more than 600 systems currently in use worldwide. Combined with the Medtronic hardware systems currently in place, Smith and Nephew software and implants will soon be available for use in more than 60 per cent of the hospitals offering computer-assisted surgery worldwide.

For further details, please contact: Smith and Nephew Orthopaedics. Web site: http://www.smith-nephew.com/orthopaedics; BrainLAB. Web site: http://www.brainlab.com