(WJET) — Bridge-Enhanced ACL Repair, called the BEAR procedure for short, is now being done at Millcreek Community Hospital. JET 24/FOX 66 reporter Nicole Lee had the chance to interview the very first local resident to receive it.
“I fell off a combine after a repair, and I knew instantly I had a major injury,” said Arthur Miller, a Corry farmer.
Arthur Miller tore both his ACL and meniscus in February. It’s a common injury, but Miller would be the first in Erie County to get an uncommon procedure.
“For the first time we’re able to repair a patient’s ACL tear without the need for reconstruction,” said Dr. Joshua Tuck, D.O., an orthopedic surgeon at Millcreek Community Hospital.
Dr. Tuck is one of the only surgeons in this part of the country performing Bridge-Enhanced ACL Repair
He said this procedure is cutting edge but it’s not experimental. It’s FDA-approved and more than 4,000 of these procedures have been done nationwide.
Dr. Tuck said the fluid in the knee joint makes healing from traditional knee surgeries unpredictable.