Positioning Device Moves on Surgeon's Orders

An intelligent surgical assistant device, intended for use in total knee arthroplasty, helps to support surgeons in correctly positioning orthopedic instrumentation.

The Bone Resection Instrument Guide (BRIGIT), manufactured by Zimmer (Warsaw, IN, USA), is intended for use with a telemanupilator arm. The voice-activated device provides the surgeon with the ability to accurately position instruments based upon patient-specific, pre-operative plans established through a software interface. The surgeon then makes surgical cuts at precise angles required for the patient's specific anatomy, and the telemanipulator arm assists the surgeons in maintaining the desired position.

The system has the potential to reduce the number of instruments needed in a procedure, and is designed to speed the transition between steps in a surgical procedure. It also has the potential to benefit hospitals by reducing procedure times through minimizing the number of instruments used, which can also reduce requirements for the cleaning and sterilization of instruments.

Zimmer is dedicated to assisting surgeons in improving the accuracy and reproducibility of the steps involved in joint replacement procedures and the BRIGIT system is a major technological step forward in this effort, said Ray Elliott, Zimmer Holdings chairman, president, and CEO. We are focusing on making the surgeon more efficient and not on replacing the surgeon. The BRIGIT system is not a surgical robot but an intelligent tool that provides feedback and guidance to the surgeon throughout the procedure.



Related Links:
Zimmer