As the U.S. population ages, the wear and tear of daily life on critical joints grows, too. Now, some physicians are not only replacing knee joints but also implanting a tiny tracking sensor, just approved by the FDA.
Knee replacement surgery replaces damaged bones with metal and plastic parts, which are now being improved with a tiny FDA-approved sensor to relay real-time information about recovery back to the doctor and patient.
“You do something and you see how it went, and then you make a change and you see if it helped,” said Dr. Marc Hungerford, an orthopedic surgeon at Mercy Medical Center.
The motion tracer records daily steps, functional range of motion, cadence and walking speed during activity, transmitting that information while you’re sleeping.
“This is next to their bedside, and the sensor will wake up and transmit that motion information,” explained Hungerford.
Furnishing real-time cloud data, accessible by physician or patient, who can then compare their progress to others.
“They have comparatives, right? So, they have, ‘How am I doing compared to people my own age?’” Hungerford said.
This groundbreaking knee sensor is new -- Hungerford has only used it in 10 patients -- but it’s promising good results.
The goal of the Persona IQ Sensor is 100% patient compliance to improve the quality of patient life and to relay real-time information on knee function and patient recovery.