Revolutionizing trauma surgery

Computer-assisted trauma surgery is perhaps the most compelling opportunity to advance minimally invasive techniques while improving the likelihood of success for patients.

Trauma surgery can often be more invasive than other orthopaedic surgeries. Even though trauma implants have advanced technologically over recent years, a surgeon still may need substantial visualization of the fracture site to perform the operation. This can mean a large incision and subsequent damage to underlying soft tissues.

Computer-assisted trauma applications stand to revolutionize these operations. Surgeons achieve visualization of the fracture site with an advanced convergence of multiple medical technologies. Using infrared cameras, fluoroscopic images and simple tracking devices. This procedure not only helps the surgeon achieve optimal placement of the required implant, but it can reduce exposure to radiation and enables a less invasive surgery.

How it works

The logic is simple: By combining fluoroscopic images of the bones involved in the procedure with a navigational software package, the computer hardware can track the precise position of the patient’s bones, the implant and the surgeon’s instruments at all times during the procedure.

Do not fear—the surgeon does the work. The computer simply puts together all of the information coming in from the patient and the instruments and tells the surgeon precisely where to insert the implant. Given that every patient’s injury and bone geometry is different, this level of patient-specific, computer-guided accuracy is unprecedented in the history of trauma surgery.

Enabling minimally invasive surgery

The system’s accurate targeting for the insertion of implants can have dramatic implications for patients. For instance, in traditional pelvic fracture fixation, an incision of up to six inches may be needed to gain access to the fracture site. Not only does the CAS minimally invasive technique reduce scarring, but it avoids the displacing of vital organs to insert the implant through a small incision in the patient’s hip. As a direct result of this technique, there may be dramatic reductions in surgery duration, radiation exposure, blood loss and rehabilitation time.

At this time, the computer-assisted navigational device could be used in approximately 800,000 trauma surgeries per year, and works in conjunction with all Smith & Nephew trauma implant systems.