When East Hamilton orthopedic surgeon Dr. Martin Redish started performing a new type of partial knee replacements 12 years ago, he thought the technique would catch on like wildfire.
East Hamilton orthopedic surgeon Dr. Martin Redish displays a model knee that incorporates a partial knee replacement method called the Repicci technique. Redish is currently working with Dr. Repicci and a bioengineering company to create a device that makes it easier for surgeons to perform the Repicci technique in surgery.Invented by a dentist named Repicci, the process incorporates dental techniques that resurface the bones in the knee to create indentions for a small piece of plastic and metal that fit together and help the joint function properly.
"When it first came out I thought everyone would be doing it," said Redish. "It's compelling and so much better for the patient."
According to him, the Repicci technique allows for a smaller incision site, quicker recovery time and a much less invasive surgery than other methods of knee replacement. Despite these benefits, doctors have been slow to adopt the technique because it requires them to do the resurfacing freehand, said Redish.
"Doctors don't want to do it because you can mess it up," he said.
Redish rose to the challenge that many refused and has become one of the top five surgeons in the country using the Repicci technique. So far he has performed more than 1,400 of the surgeries and is now partnering with Dr. Repicci and Biomet, a worldwide medical device distributor, to help make the process easier for other surgeons.
His work has primarily come in the form of helping engineer guides for surgeons as well as an instructional piece that sits in the groove of the knee that surgeons can cut around while making space for replacement materials instead of having to freehand the cut.
Creating the guides has been a slow process, but Redish said he hopes that in one to two years the project will be finished and more doctors will be able to use the process.
"My dream is to teach the technology but still stay right here in Chattanooga working on people," he said. "[This technique] should be part of every orthopedic surgeon's repertoire, and we need to make it easier and more reproducible for the everyday surgeon."
For more information about Dr. Redish or partial knee replacements contact Chattanooga Bone and Joint Center, where he works, at 893-9020.