Tuesday, November 24, 2020 10:55 am

JACKSON - J. Douglas Haltom, MD, was the first in the United States to complete a new knee replacement procedure aimed at reducing pain and increasing mobility and activity. Haltom, who is a board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon at West Tennessee Bone & Joint Clinic P.C., performed the procedure at the Physicians Surgery Center in Jackson.

The patient-specific and custom-made Episealer® implant from Episurf Medical, which is based in Sweden, is used in a minimally invasive partial knee replacement procedure that allows for early weight bearing and rapid rehabilitation. The metal implant is ideal for older patients and is designed from high-resolution images of a specific knee to match the size, shape and contour of damaged cartilage, Episurf Medical literature explained.

Jason T. Hutchison, MD, who also is a board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon at West Tennessee Bone & Joint, is the lead investigator in Jackson for a study on the Episealer implant. He already has several patients who are waiting to be screened to see if they are candidates for the study.

The individualized design of the Episealer implants and surgical instruments are based on a patient's MRI. A virtual 3D model of the damaged knee joint is recreated.

The Episealer and instruments are designed to remove the damaged tissue and restore the area with a perfectly fitting implant. The individualized drill guide used during surgery increases the precision of the surgical procedure for optimal positioning of the implant, the company said.