Evaluating the Impact of Remote Therapeutic Monitoring on Knee Arthroplasty Recovery
University of Chicago
Summary
The main goal of this study is to see if there is a connection between the social and economic resources available in a patient's neighborhood (measured by the Area Deprivation Index, ADI) and their recovery after knee replacement surgery, as tracked through remote monitoring. A secondary goal is to find out if patients' self-reported pain and function score are linked to their actual physical improvement after surgery as measured by a remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) device. Additionally, this study examines whether RTM can reduce the number of postoperative clinic visits within the first 90 days after surgery while maintaining patient satisfaction and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs).
Description
Predicting and measuring knee function after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has been a topic of debate in the field of orthopedic surgery for decades. The early recovery period after TKA is a critical time for achieving functional range of motion and mobility. For this reason, patients are traditionally examined at regular intervals during the postoperative period for evaluation. For patients who are not meeting targets during early recovery, interventions such as manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) or modifications to physical therapy protocols can improve outcomes. Remote therapeutic monitori…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients over 18 years of age * Patients undergoing unilateral primary or revision total knee arthroplasty with the smart knee implant or standard-of-care Exclusion Criteria: * Patients who receive contralateral knee replacement or contralateral or unilateral hip replacement within 90 days before or after their knee replacement in this study * Patients with post-operative weight-bearing restrictions or physical deconditioning prohibiting routine physical therapy participation
Interventions
- DeviceSmart Knee Implant
An important advancement in objective recovery data occurred when the first ever 'smart' knee implant for remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) was released in 2021. The implant includes both a prosthesis for TKA and a stem, the latter of which records the following metrics: step count, distance traveled, tibial range-of-motion (ROM), functional ROM, average walking speed, stride length, and cadence. The implant sends the recordings to a mobile platform. Additionally, it collects and analyzes patient across the entire population of users and creates percentiles for each metric based on patient age, gender and time since surgery. These "recovery curves" provide more objective data for practitioners and patients to evaluate recovery progress and make adjustments to their care plans accordingly.
Location
- The University of Chicago Medical CenterChicago, Illinois