Detecting Femoral Condylar Lift-Off With a Piezoelectric Joint Load Sensing Total Knee Replacement

Description

This presentation from the ISTA 2024 conference held in Nashville, focuses on the development of a smart knee implant designed to enhance patient outcomes by measuring joint mechanics post-surgery. Approximately 10% to 20% of patients express dissatisfaction with their knee replacement experience, motivating further research to improve this situation. The speaker introduces a data-driven approach that employs integrated photoelectric devices in the implant, enabling energy harvesting and collection of kinematic data throughout the implant's lifespan. The talk specifically addresses the ability of the sensing platform to measure clinically relevant phenomena related to knee mechanics, such as "consular liftoff.”



Past studies on the implant have reported successful evaluations of its energy-harvesting capabilities and understanding compartmental forces under different load conditions. The speaker presents experimental results from a joint motion simulator, demonstrating how applied loads can be accurately measured and analyzed. The results show the effectiveness of the sensor in detecting moments of contact and lift-off, providing insights into joint dynamics that could inform improved surgical techniques and implant designs. The promising findings suggest future research will include testing in various loading scenarios and enhancing the sensing capabilities of the implant.

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Conferences