Modern Healthcare reports the first “smart” total knee replacement was successfully completed at HSS by Peter K. Sculco, MD, hip and knee surgeon, and Fred David Cushner, MD, knee surgeon.

The “smart” knee implant features an embedded sensor that counts the steps a patient takes, their walking speed and range of motion, so that the surgeon can monitor their progress from afar.

According to Dr. Sculco, “Data is key. Now we have the ability to analyze big data in a much more rapid fashion.”

He continued, “It’s very hard to get granular data.” And noted a smart knee can help with that by collecting daily data between a patient’s follow-up visits after the surgery.

Drs. Sculco and Cushner are investigating what type of patient is the best fit to benefit from the smart implant through multiple research studies.

“This is uncharted territory. We’re going to learn from the data that we collect, and that’s going to guide us,” Dr. Cushner said.

Read the full article at Modernhealthcare.com. A subscription is required to access. This article also appeared in print on December 6, 2021.