Anand Murthi, MD, First in Nation to Implant New Inhance Shoulder System

One-Step Prep and Surgical Advantages Mean Streamlined Procedure, Less Time Under Anesthesia

BALTIMORE- Using a new fully integrated shoulder arthroplasty system, Dr. Anand Murthi, chief of shoulder and elbow surgery at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital and professor of orthopaedic surgery, became the first surgeon in the U.S. to implant the innovative Depuy Inhance shoulder system during a shoulder replacement procedure last week. The implant, which Dr. Murthi helped to design, was used to replace the arthritic joint of a 65-year old man.

A surge in the geriatric population with advancements in technical approaches in surgery and improvements in devices, account for a trending increase in the frequency of shoulder arthroplasty, or shoulder replacement. Industry data shows that shoulder replacements are the fastest growing orthopedic joint replacement surgery in the country, tallying nearly 70,000 annually.

During a shoulder replacement procedure, the ball section of the joint, or the socket part, is replaced using a prosthesis made of polyethylene and metal components. There are different approaches to performing a shoulder arthroplasty including a partial, total, a revision, or a reverse shoulder replacement.

The Inhance shoulder system was designed by surgeons and engineers using an intuitive approach to patient care with consideration to the multiple reasons why it may become necessary during surgery to change from one approach option to another. It’s the first shoulder system to allow a seamless transition from stemless to stemmed to reverse shoulder implants if necessary. Humeral bone quality, severe glenoid bone loss and damage to the rotator cuff may lead the surgeon to opt from performing a standard shoulder replacement to a reverse shoulder replacement.

“This is really a leap forward in advancing the technology to replace the shoulder joint,” explained Dr. Murthi, “the intelligent system design means simultaneous steps can take place to prepare the bone and thereby reducing the length of the surgery. That means the patient is under anesthesia for less time.”

Last week, the total shoulder replacement procedure took under 1.5 hours. The patient went home the same day using regional anesthesia.

The new shoulder system also has unique intraoperative flexibility. It features a comprehensive size range of anatomic stemless and stemmed inlay humeral implants that share a common geometrical shape to easily fixate to the humerus. The innovative zoned-conforming glenoid, with one-step preparation is novel to the shoulder market. Dr. Murthi and his research team published on this in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

The implants are manufactured via state-of-the-art 3D laser and manufactured using an advanced cross-linked Vitamin E polyethylene for its wear characteristics and oxidative stability. This is important to reducing the risk of revision and complications.