Stryker’s MR Guidance System Used in First Shoulder Arthroplasty Surgeries

Stryker today announced that its Blueprint Mixed Reality (MR) Guidance System, which was cleared by FDA in January 2023, has been used in its first shoulder arthroplasty surgeries. The surgeries were successfully completed by Dr. Joaquin Sanchez-Sotelo, MD, PhD, a consultant and professor of orthopedic surgery at Mayo Clinic, and Dr. George Athwal at St. Joseph’s Health Care London, in Canada.

The Blueprint MR system combines Stryker’s software with the Microsoft HoloLens 2 headset and allows a physician during surgery to track the position and orientation of surgical instrumentation. The system guides surgeons by using 3D images and guidance widgets which can be displayed on the patient and in the surgeon’s line of sight without disrupting workflow.

“Mixed reality technology offers important benefits to patients,” said Sanchez-Sotelo, in the press release. “This technology allows the surgeon to plan and execute the surgery based on precise images of the patient’s shoulder, thereby minimizing the risk of improper placement of the implant. This is individualized care tailored to each patient’s anatomy.”

Styker said that the addition of mixed reality guidance has specific potential benefits for shoulder arthroplasty. “The addition of Mixed Reality Guidance to our Blueprint platform has the potential to benefit the entire shoulder arthroplasty market — surgeons and patients alike,” said Tim Lanier, president of Stryker’s Trauma & Extremities division, in the press release. “Now that Mixed Reality Guidance has officially entered the operating room, our surgeons will have access to the most innovative technology available, enabling more precise surgical results and allowing for improved results for patients.”

The previous iteration of the system, the Blueprint Mixed Reality OR Visualization, has been used by over 50 surgeons and in more than 3,500 shoulder replacement procedures globally.

The company anticipates the first case using the system in Europe to be completed in February.