Stryker Marks First Surgeries with Blueprint Mixed-Reality Shoulder Surgery Guidance

Stryker announced that the first shoulder replacement surgeries using its Blueprint mixed reality (MR) guidance were successfully completed. The surgeons that performed these first procedures were Dr. Joaquin Sanchez-Sotelo, MD, PhD, Consultant and Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and Dr. George Athwal at St. Joseph’s Health Care London, Canada.
 
Blueprint MR guidance combines the company’s software with the Microsoft HoloLens 2 headseat, allowing surgeons to track their instrumentation’s position and orientation in the physical environment. Surgeons and their instruments are guided by 3D images and guidance widgets displayed on the patient and in the line of sight.
 
“Mixed reality technology offers important benefits to patients,” said Dr. Sanchez-Sotelo, who is one of the Blueprint design surgeons. “This technology allows the surgeon to plan and execute the surgery based on precise images of the patient’s shoulder, thereby minimizing the risk of improper placement of the implant. This is individualized care tailored to each patient’s anatomy.”
 
The MR guidance system gained U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance in January 2023. Stryker expects the first European case using Blueprint MR in February.
 
“The addition of Mixed Reality Guidance to our Blueprint platform has the potential to benefit the entire shoulder arthroplasty market – surgeons and patients alike,” said Tim Lanier, president of Stryker’s Trauma & Extremities division. “Now that Mixed Reality Guidance has officially entered the operating room, our surgeons will have access to the most innovative technology available, enabling more precise surgical results and allowing for improved results for patients.”
 
Last month, the company revealed it had begun a deal to acquire French joint replacement company SERF SAS.