LVMC Surgeon Performs Region’s First Smart Knee Implant Surgery

Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Richard Rooney, FACS, recently implanted Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo county’s first smart knee implant during a total knee replacement surgery at Lompoc Valley Medical Center.

The Persona IQ, dubbed the world’s first and only smart knee implant, was granted De Novo status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for total knee replacement surgery. Zimmer Biomet’s Persona IQ combines the provenand trusted knee implant, Persona^®, with implantable sensor technology that measures range of motion, step count, walking speed and other gait metrics.

“We’re excited to offer Persona IQ, the world’s first smart knee implant, to our patients considering knee replacement surgery,” said Dr. Rooney, who practices at Lompoc Health – North H Center and is board certified in orthopedic and spine surgery. “This new to world innovation will provide surgeons access to objective kinematic data directly from the implant post-surgery.”

This was the first such implant surgically put in place in either Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo counties, according to Zimmer Biomet representatives.

Prior to surgery, Dr. Rooney used the patient’s natural knee as a guide to select the appropriate knee implant to work with the patient’s specific anatomy – creating a personalized knee replacement. The implant has a “smart” stem extension at the bottom, containing sensors that capture motion data. That data includes the knee’s range of motion while walking, stride length, step count, distance walked, walking speed and more.

Persona IQ features implantable sensor technology that records and wirelessly transmits a wide range of gait data from the knee implant to a patient’s personal base station at home. The data is then securely delivered to a HIPAA-compliant cloud-based platform and can be accessed by the patient and their surgeon. The system works with mymobility, a remote care management platform that tracks pre- and post-operative mobility metrics.

“Rehab after total joint is more important than the surgery itself,” Dr. Rooney noted. “This allows the patient to monitor themselves in real time in order to get the best possible outcome.”

The Persona IQ data is used as an adjunct to other measurement tools during the course of post-surgery patient monitoring and treatment, Dr. Rooney explained.

“The patient is doing well,” Dr. Rooney commented. “The patient is right on track with their post-operative physical therapy. The data gives the patients and the providers accurate information regarding whether the patient is falling behind or going too fast in rehab.”

Personal IQ has several key privacy features as well and does not collect data on where a patient is located or where the patient has been or is going.

“This is not a GPS or tracking device,” Dr. Rooney said.

The data is used by surgeons for up to 90 days post-surgery, unless a patient opts out of sharing. Not all knee replacement patients are candidates for the smart knee implant.

“I am very thankful that Zimmer thought highly enough of me and my ability as a surgeon that we were able to implant the first device in all of Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County at LVMC.,” Dr. Rooney said. “It says a lot about the quality of surgery that I am able to do with the staff at LVMC.”