“Osseointegration surgical procedure is a method whereby a steel implant is built-in into the affected person’s bone and extends externally by means of an aperture, or opening, within the pores and skin to permit for direct attachment of a prosthesis,” stated Cmdr. James Flint, Orthopedic Oncology Surgeon assigned to NMCSD. “Osseointegration surgical procedure represents essentially the most superior strategies out there world-wide and presents the very best stage of operate and wellness for warfighters and sufferers who’ve sustained amputations because of trauma and most cancers. By the collaboration of multidisciplinary consultants at NMCSD, College of California San Diego Well being, VA system, and civilian companions, San Diego is quickly changing into identified for excellence in amputee care.”
The San Diego osseointegration program emerged from the Division of Protection’s osseointegration program at Walter Reed Nationwide Navy Medical Middle and brings collectively a multi-center, multi-disciplinary staff, with consultants in Orthopedic Surgical procedure, Plastic Surgical procedure, Prosthetics, and Rehabilitation.
“By a multidisciplinary method, we tailor this cutting-edge expertise to advance the reconstructive care and rehabilitation of our amputee sufferers” stated Cmdr. Yan Ortiz-Pomales, Specialty Chief for Plastic Surgical procedure assigned to NMCSD.
“With so many amputees nationwide, many with service-connected accidents, it was obvious {that a} west-coast program was important,” added Flint.
The process provides sufferers a extra personalised prosthetic, in that it attaches on to their bone, offering utmost affected person satisfaction and elevated prosthetic utilization, in accordance with Flint. By providing osseointegration surgical procedure, NMCSD supplies higher and extra personalised affected person care and better prospects to those that would in any other case expertise limitations.
“The process has taken guys who beforehand weren’t profitable ambulators with a conventional socket and allowed them to achieve success,” stated Nathaniel Leoncio, Lead Prosthetist and first main osseointegrated transfemoral amputee at NMCSD. “It has elevated an amputee’s bodily capabilities, and for some it has modified their lives dramatically!”
Benefits to this surgical procedure embody elimination of socket-related problems, together with pores and skin irritation and breakdown, poor match, a number of revisions, and extra frequent visits to the prosthetist. Further benefits are improved biomechanics and proprioceptive suggestions, sooner prosthesis attachment and elimination, improved consolation, elevated vary of movement and limb energy.
“Osseointegration grants sufferers superior proprioceptive, or spatial, suggestions and management of their limb, permits for easy attachment and elimination of a prosthetic limb in as little as ten seconds, and bypasses the necessity for a conventional liner and socket altogether,” remarked Flint. “Solely a handful of surgeons within the nation are actually specialised on this surgical procedure, together with myself and Dr. Ortiz, Plastic Surgeon, at NMCSD.”
For sufferers contemplating osseointegration, they first meet with the multi-disciplinary staff to make sure they meet the standards for profitable surgical procedure. Choices are mentioned, protecting differing varieties of implants out there, together with the nation’s solely Meals and Drug Administration authorized osseointegration gadget.
“As soon as the affected person is deemed a candidate, the docs advocate a remedy plan to make sure optimum situations for the affected person to obtain the implant,” stated Leoncio. “For the FDA authorized gadget, the affected person will endure two surgical procedures, three to 6 months aside. The primary surgical procedure has the implant positioned into the affected person’s bone, and the second will place the abutment (attachment for prosthesis) and securely affix the muscle and the pores and skin to make sure correct useful management. The affected person will sometimes be in remedy earlier than and after every surgical procedure, to strengthen the bone and make sure the affected person is in the perfect bodily well being to begin ambulating with an osseointegrated prosthesis. The demand on the affected person’s muscle mass is larger than a conventional socket prosthesis, as extra muscle teams are recruited for prosthetic management, much like a local leg.”
As somebody who personally makes use of the osseointegrated prosthesis, Leoncio appreciates the effectivity and ease the prosthesis supplies.
“It’s the easy pleasures,” stated Leoncio. “I really like with the ability to stand within the bathe on two legs, I might do that earlier than however nonetheless wanted to take away the socket to clean the stump, so I by no means did. As a result of the Above Knee Prosthetic socket goes very excessive into the groin and captures the sitting bone it’s not essentially the most snug, it’s not horrible however not snug, I’m a lot extra snug now. The prosthesis looks like part of me now.”
For beneficiaries inquisitive about studying extra about this revolutionary process go to: https://sandiego.tricare.mil/Well being-Providers/Specialty-Care/Complete-Fight-and-Advanced-Casualty-Care/Prosthetics or name (619) 532-6044.
NMCSD’s mission is to organize service members to deploy in assist of operational forces, ship prime quality healthcare providers and form the way forward for navy medication by means of schooling, coaching and analysis. NMCSD employs greater than 6,000 lively responsibility navy personnel, civilians and contractors in Southern California to supply sufferers with world-class care anytime, wherever. (U.S. Navy story by Mass Communication Specialist third Class Raphael McCorey)
