M A Y 2 0 1 6 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 9 5
Patient-specific Implants Shipped to You
Conformis has expanded its line of patient-specific
total knee implants with iTotal PS, a posterior-sta-
bilized device. While its previous knee implants were
cruciate-retaining and kept the patient's posterior-
cruciate ligament intact, this posterior-stabilized
prosthesis lets the surgeon remove and replace the
ligament. That can make surgery simpler and more
efficient, the company says. The system works simi-
larly to its other implants: Patients first undergo CT
scans of their hip, knee and ankle, which are then
sent to the company. Conformis then uses 3D print-
ing to create the patient-specific implant and cutting
blocks, and ships the devices to the facility — along
with all of the tools needed to complete the surgery — in a single box.
Blood-repellent Surgical Site Markers
One of the biggest surgeon complaints about
orthopedic navigation systems is that the
metal markers used to indicate the surgical
site can be difficult to assemble and can
become covered with blood and tissue, dis-
rupting the navigation's imaging. To address
those challenges, Brainlab created
ClearLens instruments, which are single-
use, blood-repellent markers. They come pre-
assembled and simply snap onto the navigation system, saving set-up time in the OR. Since they
repel bodily fluids, they allow for continuous and consistent navigation, so the surgeon can see the
bone and soft tissue in real time with few interruptions.
