Mercy health system in O'Fallon, Mo. added the Bridge Enhanced ACL Repair procedure, ABC affiliate KAKE reported June 8.
The Bear implant creates a bridge for the ligament to repair itself, the report said.
Orthopedic surgeon David Irvine said in the report the option can be better for paatients compared to a reconstruction.
"Early studies look very comparable to a reconstruction, so if we can repair a ligament versus harvesting tissue from somewhere and make a new one, I think hopefully patients will be better off," he said.