Patient Care Online reported on new data from HSS that found patients who receive osseointegration (OI) as their first prosthetic interface may adapt to prosthetic use more efficiently than those transitioning from a conventional socket. Taylor J. Reif, MD, limb lengthening and orthopedic oncology surgeon at HSS spoke with the outlet about the findings.

“Our research challenges the current paradigm that individuals with amputations should first try conventional socket prosthetics and only consider osseointegration if they are dissatisfied with their prosthesis,” said Dr. Reif. “It would be reasonable to offer simultaneous amputation and osseointegration to select, well-informed patients who prefer to bypass the trial of a socket prosthesis.”

Among the study's most striking findings was the complete elimination of intraoperative distal chip fractures with custom-fit implants, a complication occurred in 21.2% of cases using off-the-shelf devices.

Read the full article at patientcareonline.com.