Critical to the success of a hip replacement is ensuring that the artificial hip (acetabular cup) is positioned accurately within the pelvis. Currently, many surgeons perform this positioning freehand, which leads to as many as 50% of alignments being incorrect. The consequence of this is an estimated and avoidable annual cost of ~$3 billion in the US alone for revision hip surgeries.
Certain solutions have been developed to help guide the placement of the acetabular cup, but key barriers to adoption exist including:
- cost: robotic or computer-assisted surgical navigation systems cost up to $1 million
- complexity: existing technologies have workflows that require surgeons to undergo substantial training and implement changes to their clinical practice
- time: robotic solutions can add up to 30 minutes to an average hip replacement procedure
Gyder Surgical has developed a cost-effective, user-friendly, hip navigation system that is designed to rapidly assist surgeons to accurately place the acetabular cup during hip surgery. The technology was initially developed by Bob Lye, an ex-Qantas aircraft instrument systems specialist who, in working on the development of orthopaedic instruments, had become aware of the challenges faced by surgeons when positioning the acetabular cup in the pelvis during hip replacement procedures. Bob’s aeronautical navigation background gave him a unique perspective on this problem which in turn led to the invention of the GYDER™ System.
Core to the GYDER™ computer-assisted technology is the use of an innovative navigation system that provides spatial positioning feedback. This proprietary technology enables the surgeon to rapidly determine the correct alignment for positioning the acetabular cup into the pelvis prior to final engagement (impacting the cup into place).
Hydrix has been collaborating with Gyder on this medical device since the project’s inception, including developing and maturing the spatial positioning technology, usability design, clinical (cadaver) trials, and transfer to production.
Sujit Dike, CEO of Gyder Surgical recently said: “Partnering with Hydrix has made perfect sense for Gyder Surgical. Their combined offering of design engineering capability, coupled with quality and regulatory specialists, has enabled Gyder Surgical to access all the skills that a start-up needs in the development phase, without the overhead and challenges of hiring additional staff or managing multiple independent consultants. Hydrix has also been a fantastic partner in responding quickly and with the flexibility to match our evolving needs.”