Henry Finn, MD, an Orthopedic Surgeon at Chicago Center for Orthopedics talks about an orthopedic salvage system that allowed him to save one man’s leg not just once … but twice.
So, you’re a pioneer in the limb salvage technique. What did it take to save the leg of Steve Matea?
FINN: At the time, there were few options to reconstruct his leg once the cancer was removed. We chose to implant a custom-made device that included a cadaver bone that replaced his upper femur as well as his knee. This enabled him to walk with much of his God-given leg, and he recovered well with it. However, I was dissatisfied with what was available to him at that time. I was developing a limb salvage device at the time Mr. Matea had his surgery, a better mousetrap if you will, and it received FDA approval a few years after his limb salvage procedure.
It took 33 years, but Steve Matea was eventually able to benefit from that invention. Is that correct?
FINN: Yes. As a surgeon, it’s been a gift to me to see Mr. Matea doing so well for so many years with his original custom device. Unfortunately, a fall damaged his implant and fractured his cadaver bone after 33 years. Most implants wear or break after 15 to 20 years. But recently, I was still able to perform a knee revision on him with the implant first known as the Finn knee, now called the orthopedic salvage system. There’s no greater satisfaction as a physician than to help a patient continue to live a better life.
How far has the limb salvage procedure come since you first performed that surgery on Mr. Matea?
FINN: As far as the devices used in these procedures, they have improved exponentially. In Mr. Matea’s case, the fit and feel of his original implant compared to the one he has now is like comparing a Ugo to a Ferrari. In 1987, when Mr. Matea first had his limb salvage procedure, there were only 10 medical centers around the world performing these surgeries. Many people with bone cancer were still losing their legs. More than 30 years later, because of medical advancements, there are fewer bone cancer patients requiring limb amputation to survive. An estimated 90% of patients now can be treated with limb sparing surgery.
So, Mr. Matea had a lot working against him like his cancer and his age? He defied the odds not only once, but twice?
FINN: Yes, the cancer was removed and didn’t recur. The custom-made orthopedic device was implanted at a very young age. We thought Mr. Matea would require a knee revision before he turned 30. Here he is now at age 52 getting his first revision and likely his last one. He probably won’t need another surgery on his leg. The durability of this latest generation of the salvage system is expected to exceed Mr. Matea’s life expectancy.
Interview conducted by Ivanhoe Broadcast News.
END OF INTERVIEW
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