Revolutionary Kitchener, Ont. technology improving outcomes in hip and knee replacements

Imagine being able to get up and walk just 30 minutes after knee or hip surgery. CTV’s Spencer Turcotte has more on how a Kitchener, Ont. hospital is making it

Imagine being able to get up and walk just 30 minutes after hip or knee replacement surgery.

How about climbing stairs in an hour?

A Kitchener, Ont. company is helping to make that possible.

“At Intellijoint Surgical, we help orthopedic surgeons do hip and knee replacements,” said Armen Bakirtzian, co-founder and CEO of Intellijoint Surgical Inc.

It’s a groundbreaking innovation created by University of Waterloo alumni.

Bakirtzian co-founded the company in 2010 and was inspired by his father’s work as an orthopedic surgeon. But he saw gaps in care.

“Of course, they’re human. It’s very difficult to measure degrees, single degrees or single millimetres by eye or using their training and their judgement,” he said.

So Bakirtzian created Intellijoint – a computer-assisted navigation system that improves surgical outcomes in hip and knee replacements.

It uses a miniature optical camera to deliver real-time precise measurements. It also reduces the need for invasive and costly repeat surgeries.

“Patients don’t have the wrong length of leg, for example, after surgery, which unfortunately does happen 50 per cent of the time, if technology is not used,” said Bakirtzian.

Intellijoint’s technology has been used in more than 70,000 surgeries in multiple countries over the last 15 years.

But getting approval for use in certain places has taken time.

“It’s a difficult journey to be accepted by the Ontario healthcare system,” he said.

However, there was a recent breakthrough.

“We’re very fortunate that our local hospitals, the Waterloo Regional Health Network, has access to Intellijoint’s technology,” said Bakirtzian.

While access is limited across other health networks, the team hopes their technology will continue to grow in the right direction. Their argument is simple.

“If you have access to a ruler or a level, why wouldn’t you use it to put up a shelf?” said Bakirtzian, jokingly. “I mean, that’s the logic we use.”