Reno, NV (News 4 & Fox 11) — Reno is at the forefront of new ALC knee surgery, where an entirely new surgical technique allows patients to stand up and move faster.
It is called the BEAR implant, which stands for Bridge Enhanced ACL Repair. The US Food and Drug Administration granted marketing authorization in December 2020. Just this year, the Swift Institute in Reno became the first facility in Washoe County and possibly the first in Nevada to perform this procedure.
“There are 400,000 ACL injuries per year, and many surgeries are needed because ACLs don’t heal on their own or are very good at self-healing,” said Dr. Brian Gilmer, a BEAR surgeon at the Swift Institute.
Rather than a complete reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), an implant is inserted instead of using a harvested tendon for repair.
“Rather than traditionally replacing the ACL with a graft taken from somewhere else in the knee or from a cadavers, we’re using a scaffold that allows the patient’s cells to grow and move over it. are recreating their own ACLs,” Dr. Gilmer said.
According to Dr. Gilmer, Nevadans often suffer ALC injuries, most commonly from skiing, lacrosse, and soccer.
Briana Arosi was the first patient to undergo the new BEAR procedure at the Swift Institute. She tore her anterior cruciate ligament at Skye Tavern on Feb. 12 and suffered minor impact injuries when a child slipped in, she said. She underwent surgery on March 3rd. Aroshi was the first patient to undergo this operation, so she was a little worried.
“My biggest concern from the beginning was that I’m a guinea pig and who else is doing this and how much research is out there on it, but we discussed our plans going forward. As a result, it seemed like the best option was to ‘do,’ said the mother of two young children.
Conventional surgical ACL repair, which has been practiced for decades, requires approximately nine months of recovery. Restrictions can last for a long time.
“What’s interesting is that some of the early research has given us a lot of encouragement because of the potential for faster recovery, faster return to daily activities, and return to sport at the same level.” is likely to be high,” said Dr. . Gilmer.
Aroshi said she is currently in a social media group with people who have had or will have BEAR surgery. She said they support each other.
“I call them BEAR buddies,” she said.