Smith & Nephew has entered into a world-wide commercial agreement with Blue Belt Technologies, a robotics-assisted surgical technology company, to support its Journey Uni knee system on Blue Belt’s Navio surgical system.
As per the agreement, surgeons using the Navio system will be able to implant Smith & Nephew’s Journey Uni partial knee.
Smith & Nephew Orthopaedic Reconstruction senior vice president Scott Elliott said that combining the benefits of its Journey Uni implant with the robotic precision offered by Navio is a very exciting prospect for it.
"A concern with partial knees is that they can be difficult to align and balance. Thanks to this agreement, surgeons now have a navigation system that helps alleviate that surgical concern, as well as a partial knee that directly addresses implant durability," Elliott added.
Blue Belt claims that its Navio surgical system provides surgeons with precise surgical planning and handheld robotic-controlled bone preparation for use with partial knee replacements.
The surgical system, with its intraoperative navigation, guides the surgeon in optimally placing the implant and balancing the knee to deliver consistent results.
Smith & Nephew’s Journey Uni knee system is made with its proprietary Oxinium’ alloy and offers the potential for reduced implant wear. Journey Uni implant is an advanced alternative to total knee replacement for those patients whose osteoarthritis damage is limited to only one side of their knee.
According to Smith & Nephew, the partial knee allows patients to keep all of their knee ligaments.
Image: The Navio handpiece assists the surgeon in precision bone preparation. Photo: Courtesy of Business Wire