Last week, Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI) created history as Mark Blyth became the first surgeon in the UK and Ireland to use the new Persona Revision knee system.
This new instrumentation and implant can more accurately reproduce the anatomy of a patient’s knee from before surgery, leading to better outcomes for the patient and, ultimately, feeling better with the implant.
Mark, a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the hospital, said: “The patient we operated on had a post-traumatic deformity after a fracture of the tibia previously, which led to arthritis. That presents challenges in terms of reconstructing the knee. That was made much easier with the new kit.
“This new instrumentation and implant, which Zimmer Biomet has released, builds on the success of an implant that has been in production for over the last two decades. They’ve made significant improvements, which make the instrument more user-friendly, allow us to do more accurate bone cuts, and allow us a lot more flexibility around the implants themselves, allowing us to deal with different problems with the anatomy we might encounter.”
Revision surgery might be required if certain problems, such as excessive pain and loosening, occur after surgery.
Having been used in Europe only a handful of times, Mark and the team became the first to use the kit in the UK and Ireland after months of training and becoming familiar with the instrumentation and implants.
“We’re very proud at what we’re able to do here at GRI,” said Mark. “We have a subspecialist practice which specialises in each of the joints in the body and the team that we have supporting us, including the nursing staff, theatre team, and management, are fully behind us. It’s a really proud moment for us.”
Looking to the future and the use of the kit, Mark said: “As more instrumentation sets become available, it will be rolled out to more hospitals across the UK. This will become our standard of care in the next few months and years.”
Neil McCallum, North Sector Director for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “My congratulations go to Mark and the whole orthopaedics service for making history. Being the first surgeon in the UK and Ireland to use this system is a testament to the skill and dedication of Mark and the team.
“Glasgow Royal Infirmary is a hospital with a rich history, and we want to create more now and in the future. We’ll continue to achieve this, thanks to our expert staff and innovation.”
