Smith+Nephew is pioneering Spatial Surgery

Smith+Nephew announced its pioneering efforts to develop technology in the field of Spatial Surgery - a revolutionary new frontier in arthroscopic surgical innovation. We envision Spatial Surgery as an opportunity to provide personalized planning, augmented reality and real-time data processing into platforms that interpret the surgical field intraoperatively.

Smith+Nephew has submitted to the FDA a traditional 510(k) for a technology called the TESSA Spatial Surgery System. If cleared by the FDA, TESSA (Tracking Enabled Spatial Surgery Assistant) would combine a real-time, tracking-enabled device powered by a NVIDIA^® GPU. By using video processing and augmented reality guidance, TESSA would assist a surgeon in making anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) femoral tunnel decisions by navigating an operative plan.

TESSA is currently pending FDA clearance with proposed indications for use in anterior cruciate ligament surgical knee procedures in which the use of stereotactic surgery may be appropriate, and where reference to rigid anatomical bony structures can be determined. Technical error is the second most common reason for ACLR failure, with femoral (29%) and tibial (11%) tunnel malposition being the most predominant for ACLR failure. If cleared by the FDA, TESSA will aim to mitigate these technical failures through operative planning and intraoperative execution.

“We are excited to unveil our vision for Spatial Surgery – shaping the future of arthroscopic surgery by empowering healthcare professionals to utilize advanced technologies for patient personalization,” said Scott Schaffner, President of Global Sports Medicine at Smith+Nephew. “Challenging the status quo is what we do best, and we look forward to continuing the conversation and integrating Spatial Surgery as a core Sports Medicine discipline if cleared by the FDA.”