Wright Medical’s First Shoulder Procedure with BLUEPRINT Mixed Reality Technology

Wright Medical announced that the first shoulder arthroplasty procedure was performed using groundbreaking BLUEPRINT™ Mixed Reality Technology. The procedure occured at Mayo Clinic’s campus in Rochester, Minnesota. BLUEPRINT OR Visualization Mixed Reality software provides a 3-D holographic view of the patient’s pre-operative plan.

Mixed Reality, the latest addition to Wright’s BLUEPRINT ecosystem, allows a direct view of the surgical site and simultaneous visualization and manipulation of a holographic image of the patient’s native anatomy and pre-operative plan. With hand gestures and voice commands, the surgeon can interact with a robust data set to optimize the position of the 3-D holographic models displayed by the Mixed Reality application. This can allow the surgeon to replicate the pre-operative plan as closely as possible given the availability of information while operating.

Assuming that Stryker’s pending acquisition of Wright Medical will come to pass, there is potential for BLUEPRINT to be integrated into Stryker’s planned extremity and spine expansions to Mako.

Robert Palmisano, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wright, said, “This procedure is an important milestone for shoulder arthroplasty and marks a major step in the evolution of BLUEPRINT mixed reality technology in shoulder surgery. For the first time in shoulder arthroplasty, surgeons will be able to interact with their 3-D pre-op plan in real-time to more precisely tailor shoulder joint replacement procedures to the unique needs and anatomy of their patients. By integrating other solutions in the future, such as artificial intelligence, case planning optimization and mixed reality modules for medical education, the BLUEPRINT ecosystem offers an opportunity to significantly reduce variability in the way shoulder arthroplasties are performed, potentially reducing complications and improving overall patient outcomes.”