COLUMBIA, Md. –Orthopedic surgeons at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital and MedStar Montgomery Medical Center are among the first in Maryland to have performed knee replacement procedures using the Persona IQ “smart knee,” an innovative implant with a sensor that securely collects motion data during a patient’s first year of recovery.
The Persona IQ implant sensor, integrated into the stem extension of the joint, is made of biocompatible materials and is the same length as a standard stem used on the implant. The sensor captures select measures of knee function, such as step count, stride length, walking speed, cadence, and range of motion, and wirelessly uploads the information overnight to a secure software application, via a small bedside transponder, when patients sleep within six feet of it. It does not track the patient’s location.
The battery in the smart stem does not require replacement. It typically is depleted after at least ten years and the joint then functions as a normal knee implant, simply no longer transmitting data…