Northwest Health First in Arkansas to Offer Bridge-Enhanced Repair Implant to Treat ACL Tears
7/11/2022
BENTONVILLE (JULY 11, 2022) – Northwest Medical Center – Bentonville, part of Northwest Health, is the first in Arkansas to offer a bridge-enhanced repair implant for treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, one of the most common knee injuries in the U.S. The new implant is the first to enable the body to heal its own torn ACL. This new approach is a shift from the current standard of care – reconstruction that replaces the ACL with a graft – and is the first innovation in ACL tear treatment in more than 30 years.
Unlike reconstruction, this new technique and procedure does not require a second surgical wound site to remove a healthy tendon from another part of the leg or the use of a donor tendon. The implant acts as a bridge to help ends of the torn ACL heal together. The surgeon injects a small amount of the patient’s own blood into the implant and inserts it between the torn ends of the ACL. The combination of the implant and the patient’s blood enables the body to heal the torn ends of the ACL back together while maintaining the ACL’s original attachments to the femur and tibia. As the ACL heals, the implant is resorbed by the body, within approximately eight weeks.
“This new implant and the bridge-enhanced ACL repair technique is a game changer,” said Dr. Christopher Dougherty, sports medicine and orthopedic surgeon at Agility Center Orthopedics. “For the first time you can actually restore your ACL and regrow it. The surgery has a chance to recreate your natural knee and unlike repairs with grafts, lets you take your knee back to time zero before injury.”
Every year, approximately 400,000 ACL injuries occur in the United States. A torn ACL does not heal without treatment, resulting in ACL reconstruction being one of the most common orthopedic procedures. However, the reconstruction procedure has potential drawbacks; some procedures require two separate incisions, and some who undergo reconstruction are unable to return to the same level of daily activities or sports.
During an ACL reconstruction, the surgeon completely removes the remaining torn ACL and reconstructs it with either a tendon from the patient’s own leg or a deceased donor. As with any surgery, ACL reconstruction has risks. About half of people who receive patellar tendon grafts experience pain while kneeling, and those who receive hamstring grafts could have persistent weakness – as much as a 50% deficit at two years after surgery.
For more information about ACL repair and treatment, speak with your physician. Visit https://bit.ly/NWH_ACLRepair for more information on this procedure.
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