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Exactech Announces First Surgery Using Vantage® Ankle PSI

Surgeon Reports Excellent Experience with Company’s Active Intelligence® Technology

First Ankle Replacement Surgery Using the Vantage Ankle® PSI, Patient-Specific Instrumentation

Exactech announces the first ankle replacement procedure using the Vantage® Ankle PSI, patient-specific surgical planning and 3D printed instruments. Manufactured by Rock Hill, South Carolina-based 3D Systems, the instrumentation allows surgeons to pre-plan bone resections with its personalized cutting guides.

Jason Nowak, DPM, FACFAS

Design Team Member Jason Nowak, DPM, FACFAS, of Shasta Orthopaedics performed the first surgery in California last week. “I was very proud to be the first to use these instruments,” he said. “The unique 3D-printed tibia and talar cutting guides, specifically made for my patient, helped me align and cut each bone with one instrument, saving time and increasing my surgical efficiency.”

An Exactech Active Intelligence technology, the Vantage Ankle PSI cutting guides are created from patients’ CT scans and delivered in approximately two weeks. The cutting slots on the instrumentation feature a rippled surface to allow water to flow through to keep the bone cool during surgery. In addition, the instrumentation features soft tissue offsets, which are designed to allow the surgeon to remove less soft tissue.

The unique 3D-printed tibia and talar cutting guides, specifically made for my patient, helped me align and cut each bone with one instrument, saving time and increasing my surgical efficiency.
Jason Nowak, DPM, FACFASShasta Orthopaedics in Redding, Calif.

“The Vantage Ankle PSI showcases our commitment to delivering personalized solutions and smart technologies that optimize the way surgeons perform every case,” said Chris Roche, Vice President of Exactech Extremities. “This successful first surgery is a rewarding milestone and a testament to our exclusive partnership with 3D Systems to enhance the total ankle surgery experience.”

According to Menno Ellis, Executive Vice President, Healthcare Solutions, 3D Systems, “We are thrilled to see Vantage Ankle PSI used clinically for the first time. The successful joint development effort between Exactech and 3D Systems delivers on the promise of patient-matched instrumentation to reduce the surgical steps needed for a successful ankle replacement procedure and improve the overall patient experience.”

In addition to Dr. Nowak, the design team includes Robert Santrock, MD, of West Virginia University, Constantine Demetracopoulos, MD, of Hospital for Special Surgery, and Duke University surgeons James Nunley, MD, James DeOrio, MD, and Mark Easley, MD.

The Vantage Ankle PSI is used exclusively with the Vantage Total Ankle Fixed Bearing System. This product is currently in pilot launch; full market availability is planned for the end of the second quarter of 2021. Learn more at exac.com/foot-and-ankle/vantageanklepsi/.

#ActiveIntelligence #patientspecificinstrumentation #VantageAnklePSI

Photos courtesy of Jason Nowak, DPM, FACFAS