Sports medicine surgeons from Providence, R.I.-based University Orthopedics are starting the third clinical trial of bridge enhanced anterior cruciate ligament repair, a new technique for ACL repairs developed by Martha Murray, MD, of Boston Children's Hospital.
Here are five details:
1. Dr. Murray first designed the Bear technique with the help of Providence-based Brown University orthopedics professor Braden Fleming, PhD, and his team at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.
2. Designed to lessen the risk of graft failure and knee post-traumatic degenerative arthritis, the Bear technique uses stitches in a bridging scaffold to stimulate healing of the torn ACL.
3. Up to 250 patients will be enrolled in the study at University Orthopedics and Boston Children's Hospital, with the goal of determining whether patient age contributes to the success of the Bear procedure.
4. University Orthopedics sports medicine surgeons Michael Hulstyn, MD, Paul Fadale, MD, and Brett Owens, MD, will continue performing Bear procedures for the study.
5. "The Bear procedure allows reattachment of the native ligament and is less invasive than reconstruction surgery," said Dr. Hulstyn, who was the first physician to use the technique at Rhode Island Hospital. "The goal is for a faster recovery time and return of knee stability with high patient satisfaction, and hopefully less chance of arthritis 15 to 20 years down the road."