DePuy Synthes has reached quite a milestone with the recent announcement that more than one million patients around the world have been implanted with the ATTUNE Knee.
“The ATTUNE Knee represents the largest research and development project in the history of DePuy Synthes,” said Rajit Kamal, vice president and global franchise leader, Knees, DePuy Synthes. “We continue to set a high bar for data-driven innovation in Total Knee Replacement (TKR) to improve patient satisfaction, while developing systems for the increasingly active and younger patient.”
And a particularly memorable moment from the history of ATTUNE knee?
“During limited launch,” Kamal told OTW, “one of the early users told us that his physical therapist called him and asked him what he was doing differently, as he was seeing patients of the early user recover quicker. That has always stuck with me. From the very beginning, we have focused on the science and data with diligence to provide a differentiated product to patients and surgeons.”
“And now we have touched more than one million patients around the world which for me includes some family, friends and colleagues who have benefited from the ATTUNE Knee. I’ve met many patients who have been able to get back to what they love after receiving an ATTUNE Knee. That is very special to me.”
OTW asked Kamal about what areas might remain for innovation in the knee. He stated, “At DePuy Synthes, we believe innovation is not only possible, but necessary to improve outcomes and increase patient satisfaction. Up to 20% of patients are not fully satisfied with the results of their total knee replacement1 and at 10 years there is an up to 5% revision rate.2 We aim to improve those numbers, and embrace this goal as an opportunity for innovation.”
“The ATTUNE Knee platform provides a rich opportunity for innovation, which we’ve embraced by adding innovative products to our knee device portfolio. For example, we’ve added (i) the ATTUNE Cementless Knee to support younger and more active patients; (ii) the tibial base with ATTUNE S+ Technology and Macrolock + Microblast to enhance tibial fixation; and (iii) the ATTUNE Revision Knee System—a comprehensive system that is designed to enable surgeons to effectively manage a broad range of complex primary and revision knee procedures.”
Faster, More Accurate, and Enhanced Personalization
“We also believe technology has the potential to transform knee replacement surgery. For example, with VELYS Digital Surgery we are building a platform of connected technologies powered by data insights to elevate the orthopaedic experience for patients, surgeons and health systems—before, during and after surgery. All of the VELYS Digital Surgery solutions are designed to deliver a more personalized care experience, provide deeper insights for real-time decision making, and increase precision and consistency.”
“Additionally, while today’s VELYS Digital Surgery includes a number of solutions, we are looking forward to expanding the number of solutions that incorporate technologies like robotics, patient selection tools, advanced visualization, sensors and apps over time.”
“The ATTUNE Knee is our platform for continued innovation in this ever-shifting landscape of knee replacement. Our goal is to have the most comprehensive and differentiated knee platform in the market. The design features of the ATTUNE Knee lend themselves well to enabling technologies. In the future, we believe that the ATTUNE Knee, powered by the VELYS Digital Surgery Platform, will be a unique and differentiated value proposition with the goal of improving patient outcomes and satisfaction, enhancing efficiencies, and increasing overall value.”
“We believe the type of knee implant used makes a difference in terms of faster recovery, improved patient reported outcomes, reduced length of stay and efficiency, and that the ATTUNE Knee System is strongly poised to answer these shifts.” — EH
1 Baker, P., Rushton, S., Jameson, S., Reed, M., Gregg, P., Deehan, D. “Patient satisfaction with total knee replacement cannot be predicted from pre-operative variables alone: A cohort study from the NJR for England and Wales.” JBJS. 2013; 95-B: 1359-65.
2 National Joint Registry for England, Wales, Northern Ireland the and the Isle of Man, 16th Annual Report (2019). Table 3.27. Full summary of all data is available from: https://reports.njrcentre.org.uk/Portals/0/PDFdownloads/NJR%2016th%20Annual%20Report%202019.pdf
