Smith & Nephew launches natural-motion knee replacement at AAOS annual meeting

LONDON, March 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Smith & Nephew (LSE:SN NYSE:SNN), the global medical technology business, announces the showcasing of the JOURNEY™ II Bi-Cruciate Stabilized (BCS) knee replacement at this year's American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) meeting in Chicago, March 19-23.

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The JOURNEY II BCS knee sets a new standard in knee implant performance by restoring more normal motion.  This is achieved through the reproduction of both the shapes of the joint's hard surfaces and the normal force behavior of the soft tissues, such as ligament and muscle firing patterns. As a result, the soft tissue's readjustment to new shapes and forces after surgery is minimized, helping to return the patient's stride to its natural rhythm.

"The JOURNEY II BCS knee takes knee performance beyond the current standards for fit and alignment and gives patients the complex motion, strength and stability of a human knee," said Gaurav Agarwal, President of Smith & Nephew's joint reconstruction business.  "You don't have to ask patients if it feels like a normal knee—you can see it in their gait and in their post-op x-rays.  We redefined knee implant function when we launched the original JOURNEY knee in 2005, and with JOURNEY II BCS we have again outpaced traditional knee replacement technology."

This latest innovation is the result of intense research and design, and the development of new PHYSIOLOGICAL MATCHING™ Technology. Using its LifeMOD™ human simulation software, Smith & Nephew engineers were able to conduct proprietary analysis of the bone, ligament and muscle forces that impact the knee, and then account for those forces within the design of an implant that restores anatomic shapes and normal motion.

"Unlike implants that create unnatural motion with a symmetric, circular design, or with a rotating platform, the JOURNEY II BCS knee accommodates the swing-and-rotate of the knee with the same engineering principles the body naturally uses," explains Steven Haas, MD, Chief of the Knee Service at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.  "As a result, the muscles and ligaments around the new joint don't have to work harder because the implant's natural shape and resulting motion allow these soft tissues to move in familiar ways. This leads to higher patient satisfaction scores, more mechanical efficiency of the muscle, and a more natural feeling while walking or bending in the months after their procedure."

The JOURNEY II BCS knee is made from Smith & Nephew's VERILAST™ Technology.  The combination of two wear reducing materials – proprietary OXINIUM™ alloy and a highly cross-linked plastic liner, VERILAST Technology generates a significant reduction in implant wear compared to traditional bearing couples on the market.  On traditional plastic liners, OXINIUM material is 4,900 times more abrasion resistant than cobalt chrome and reduces knee replacement wear on traditional liners by up to 85-percent compared to cobalt chrome components.[i]

About Smith & Nephew
Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business dedicated to helping improve people's lives. With leadership positions in Orthopaedic Reconstruction, Advanced Wound Management, Sports Medicine and Trauma, Smith & Nephew has almost 10,500 employees and a presence in more than 90 countries. Annual sales in 2012 were more than $4.1 billion. Smith & Nephew is a member of the FTSE100 (LSE: SN, NYSE: SNN).

For more information about Smith & Nephew, please visit:  www.smith-nephew.com

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