An innovative workflow in Knee replacement surgery
The goal of the FOLLOWKNEE project is to propose a totally innovative workflow in Knee replacement surgery as an answer to the changes in the demographic population for the next 20 years. Its aims at defining a set of technological solutions to decrease the number of revisions: a personalized implant design adapted to each patient anatomy, the use of augmented-reality in the operating room to optimize the surgical techniques, and the integration of a new generation of sensors in the implant to improve postoperative follow-up.
These innovations will have a significant impact among several actors: patients, surgeons, manufacturer, and insurances.
Followknee is a project bringing together 10 partners from academic to industrial research with a 24 Millions euros budget.
Total knee replacement key figures
Knee replacement surgery — also known as knee arthroplasty — can help relieve pain and restore function in severely diseased knee joints. During knee replacement, a surgeon cuts away damaged bone and cartilage and replaces it with an artificial joint made of metal alloys, high-grade plastics and polymers. It is one of the most common orthopedic procedures performed, representing approximately 60% of all replacements, both in volume and in cost.
With a growth projection by 673% up to 3.48 million procedures in the USA by 2030, the demand for Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) will also become more and more important in Europe. These 2 markets places account for more than 70% of global knee implants.
This increase is based on three main factors:
- Ageing population due to the Baby Boom generation.
- Increased obesity prevalence which will concomitantly lead to osteoarthritis, and subsequent TKA rate rise in next decades.
- Young population demand, more active and who refuse to live with pain which make them getting knee replacements at younger ages (<65 years old).
To face these great challenges, and to meet them the FollowKnee project was built.
100000
Average annual interventions in France
700000
Average annual interventions in the USA
2431000
Average annual interventions in the world
Followknee's goals
An innovative workflow in Knee replacement surgery
1 - Custom prostheses and instrumentation
The FollowKnee project aims to improve the conventional approach by developing a global workflow allowing the designing of custom prostheses and custom instrumentation.
A personalized prosthesis, corresponding exactly to its own knee shape will be generated and manufactured using 3D printing technology.
2 - Precise positioning during the surgical procedure
The FollowKnee project aims to develop an augmented reality system, that will allow the surgeon to have directly in his field of vision all the parameters of pose.
3-Personalized rehabilitation program, adapted postoperative follow-up and precautionary detection of infections
The FollowKnee project aims to set up a connected prosthesis that, through integrated sensors, will send information directly to differents users (physicians, researchers, patients…).
This connectivity and the information sent will also allow the implementation of personalized reeducation program with exercises adapted to each one.
Followknee's Consortium
A global partners network
