VirtaMed and Smith+Nephew Partner for Simulation Training

VirtaMed has collaborated with Smith+Nephew to providesurgical simulation training as part of its Training & Education portfoliofor advanced surgical devices.

Smith+Nephew’s original surgical instruments will be adaptedand incorporated into new simulation modules for knee, shoulder and hiparthroscopy, including advanced surgical techniques such as rotator cuff repairand meniscal repair.

Crescent and L-shaped rotator cuff tears can be repairedusing Smith+Nephew’s shoulder repair solutions including HEALICOIL sutureanchors, the FIRSTPASS suture passer, ULTRATAPE sutures and the MULTIFIXimplant system. The FAST-FIX 360 Meniscal Repair System will also be madeavailable for simulation training using arthroscopy of the knee.

As a leap forward in digital technologies for surgicaltraining, all of Smith+Nephew’s new simulators will be accessible viaVirtaMed’s cloud-based simulation management platform, Connect. This will allowphysicians to continue their training online, gaining greater understanding ofthe benefits of Smith+Nephew’s surgical techniques even when away from thesimulator.

“We have realized the value in simulation training as ameaningful part of the educational pathway, and I am excited to bring this newmethod of training into our professional education activities,” stated MaríaJesús Barrenechea, senior vice president, Global Medical Education andSocieties.

VirtaMed will work together with senior experts fromSmith+Nephew to identify the key learning objectives associated with eacharthroscopic surgical technique and incorporate them into new simulationmodules, combining anatomically correct models with photorealistic virtualreality simulation. These modules will be available for select VirtaMedcustomers who already own an ArthroS and as part of Smith+Nephew’s ArthroSglobal simulator fleet.

Smith+Nephew’s ArthroS simulators will make their debut inthe last quarter of 2019, also being rolled out to the Orthopedic LearningCenter (OLC) in Chicago. VirtaMed has a long-standing relationship withproviding simulation training at the OLC as part of their exclusive partnershipwith the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA).