$1 million for surgical study at Grand River

KITCHENER, Ont. – The Ontario Ministry of Health announced it will invest $1 million in a study at Grand River Hospital to evaluate the use of an intraoperative surgical technology that could improve outcomes for patients who require hip replacement surgery. The study will inform the development of a new pathway to improve the adoption of new medical innovations that will innovate patient care in hospitals across the province.

Intellijoint Surgical is proud that, as part of this announcement, Grand River Hospital will be adopting the use of Intellijoint’s intraoperative navigation solution for hip replacement, Intellijoint HIP, as part of a research study to understand the benefit of this new technology for patients and identify any economic efficiencies that can be realized across the provincial health system as a result of its use.

“Grand River is excited to lead a comprehensive research study that will assess the clinical and economic merits of this technology,” says Sven Byl (pictured), vice president digital, insights, improvement & innovation at Grand River Hospital. “This research will enable us to make recommendations to the ministry regarding funding models that support the use of new and innovative tools and technology to improve the quality of care for patients and provide economic benefits across the health system. We are also pleased to work with McMaster University who will be supporting us in the data analysis and dissemination of study results.”

Grand River performs over 400 THA’s a year and will start its study of the Intellijoint HIP intraoperative navigation device in the summer of 2022.

“This investment from the Ministry of Health is great news,” says Dr. Matthew Snider orthopaedic surgeon at Grand River Hospital. “These funds will support our department to rigorously test this device with the hope that we can continue to improve our ability to provide world class care for our patients. This focus on leveraging innovation to provide the best patient experience is something that we truly value.”

Intellijoint HIP has been licensed by Health Canada since 2015 and provides real-time intraoperative measurements for accurate implant alignment, as well as leg length and offset restoration for total hip replacement surgery.

Intellijoint HIP does not add any surgery time and has proven results with over 30,000 procedures performed around the world. With this investment from the Ministry of Health, Grand River Hospital will become the second public hospital in Canada to procure the Intellijoint HIP technology, and the first to perform a comprehensive study looking at health system benefits in addition to improvements in clinical outcomes.

“Our team couldn’t be more excited with this investment by the province in Grand River Hospital for the conduct of this study which could lead to broader adoption across the province,” states Armen Bakirtzian, co-founder and CEO of Intellijoint Surgical. “Surgeons in our Region will finally have the opportunity to test a novel surgical technology that was invented, designed and developed right here in Kitchener-Waterloo.”

Intellijoint Surgical is the proud anchor resident of the Medical Innovation Xchange (MIX), a medical technology hub dedicated to supporting scaling Canadian MedTech companies achieve commercial success globally while retaining their headquarters in Kitchener-Waterloo.

“This achievement is celebrated by MIX, partnering MIX companies and the entire MedTech ecosystem. It is MIX’s hope that this is just the first of many adoptions in the Ontario health system by MIX companies” states Elliot Fung, executive director with MIX.

About Intellijoint Surgical
Intellijoint Surgical develops and commercializes surgical planning & navigation solutions for total hip and knee joint replacements, as well as digital patient engagement for all orthopaedic specialties. It is committed to improving patients’ lives by providing every surgeon with effective, easy-to-use technology to manage the entire episode of care. Intellijoint’s technology is used by top orthopaedic institutions and surgeons globally. For more information on Intellijoint Surgical visit www.intellijointsurgical.com.

About MIX
We provide Canadian scaling MedTech companies with what they need; relevant and industry specific mentorship and advice, and the tools to succeed. MIX isn’t a typical technology hub. MIX is a network of like-minded, Canadian medical and health technology companies who share the same vision and purpose; to grow their business in their own backyard, support patients and clinicians with truly innovative solutions and pay-it-forward by helping other MedTech companies grow and succeed.