Welcome to Episurf's 2nd newsletter!
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Welcome to Episurf's 2nd newsletter!
 
 
Welcome to our second newsletter! 
 
 
In this edition, you can find an interview with Göran, the first patient to receive an Episealer. Read his story, which started with a meniscectomy forty years ago, and how he now is back in the ski slopes and completed a 90km cross-country skiing competition.
 
We hope that Göran's story will tempt you to sign up for our Masterclass where you will get the opportunity to share some of our Episealer users experience and learn how Episealer best can help your patients. Maybe you already use Episealer? Then you are more than welcome to share your experience!
 
My knee does not limit me anymore, I can do everything I want to do...
 

In December 2012, Göran became the first patient who received an Episealer implant.

Göran, who turns 62 this year, works as a sports teacher. We meet him a winter day in Stockholm to hear his own words about his experiences as a patient.


 

Two weeks after our meeting, Göran finished the 90km cross-country race, Vasaloppet open track, with the respectable time of 7 hours and 12 minutes. “I was a little bit afraid for the uphill skating but I didn’t feel anything at all in my knee!”
When and how did your knee problems occur?
It all started already in the seventies and I underwent an arthroscopy where they shaved the meniscus. Later, when I was in my thirties and played bandy, I fell and another player landed on my leg which was bent backwards. It was probably after that the problems increased.

What interventions did you undergo before you got the Episealer?
After the surgery performed in the seventies, a couple of additional arthroscopies were done in the nineties, where loose cartilage was removed and a micro-fracturing was done. Later, in the 21th century, an additional micro-fracturing was done, so in total there were four surgeries.

Were any other treatment options discussed as alternatives to the Episealer?
No, additional arthroscopic interventions were con-sidered unable to help and my knee pain was not severe enough to motivate a knee prosthesis, even though I found my problems plaguing.
You were the first patient who received an Episealer, what made you take the decision to accept that alternative?
My doctor Nicolas Martinez-Carranza suggested the new Episealer technology. I
consulted a friend who at the time worked as a physiotherapist at one of the major sports medicine clinics in Sweden. We discussed the offer and my friend thought it sounded like an interesting alter-native. I thought that there was nothing to lose as my knee problems stopped me from living the life I wanted to live.

How would you describe your life before you received the Episealer implant?
I’ve always been exercising and running, but almost fifteen years ago my knee problems became so severe that I couldn’t run anymore and I had severe pain also from other kinds of exercising. A memory I have is when I was in the mountains during the winter of 2012, half a year before the Episealer 
surgery. I had to start taking painkillers in order to be able to ski, and I felt that this is not acceptable, I cannot continue like this. Not being able to exercise and live a physically active life is not a life for me. I want to be able to exercise, work with the house and have a physically active everyday life.
How would you describe the rehabilitation and recovery after the surgery?
The physiotherapy started already a few weeks after the surgery, initially it was mainly aqua aerobics. After about half a year, I was able to bicycle and play golf. A year after the surgery, me and my wife went on vacation to Niseko, Japan. For the first time in many years I was finally able to go skiing as I wanted, off-piste and everything.

How would you describe your life today?
My knee does not limit me anymore, I can do everything I want to do. Our family often go skiing together, downhill as well as cross country, and I can so far keep up with my children who are in their thirties. I don’t have to be ashamed of slowing them down. Summertime, it’s a lot of golf for me, some days up to 36 holes and I’m no longer restricted by my knee. Right now, I’m looking forward to participating in the Vasaloppet ski race, a Swedish 90 km cross country skiing competition, which takes place in two weeks’ time. It will be the first time since the surgery. Today I feel good and I live the life I want to live!

If you want to hear more about Göran, check out his story on our youtube channel.

Link: https://youtu.be/5uUzZ_o3fNs
 
2nd Episealer Masterclass
 
Episurf cordially invite you to their 2nd Episealer Masterclass being held in Sigtuna (close to  Stockholm), Sweden’s oldest city, on 14 and 15 June 2018.
 
Join us to interact with a distinguished faculty, to understand more about our Episealer technology and how this is changing the lives of cartilage patients today. Through interactions with orthopaedic peers and engineering professionals, Episurf will guide you through a unique experience, enabling you to understand more about how the company’s technology can offer hope in treating cartilage injuries.

For more information and registration, contact your local Episurf representative.
 
Product Update 
 
During the first quarter of 2018, Episurf Medical released some new features to the Episealer toolkit to ensure an even smoother and more straight-forward Episealer procedure.
test test test
New drill eliminating the need of Epicut
  • Two small teeth were added to the drillbody of the Epidrill, taking over the function of the Epicut. This feature has not only shortened the procedure with one step but also ensures a more precise cut of the cartilage edge around the Episealer, ensuring a better cartilage ongrowth.
  • The diameter of the drill is now mentioned on the handle, as well as the length (S/short or L/long version) in order to create an additional check.
Improved design of Epiguide
  • Wings were added to the base of the Epiguide, fitting around the edges of the knee condyle and trochlea.
  • The pin holes have been reinforced to create a more stable fixation on the femoral surface.
  • The height of the tower has been reduced to limit the number of drill steps.
 
Prof Tim Spalding to present Episealer's clinical outcome at the 2018 World Congress of the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) in Macau.
 
The abstract “Successful clinical results of a focal individualised mini-metal implant for focal cartilage lesions in the knee”  by T. Spalding, Et al., is presented at the ICRS World Congress in Macau, China on April 9-12, 2018. The clinical outcome for patients in the “gap age” 35-60 years old, who have undergone treatment of focal chondral defects using the mini-metal implant Episealer, is presented.

The abstract concludes that the present study demonstrated excellent early clinical results in the treatment of focal full thickness symptomatic cartilage lesions on the femoral condyles or trochlea with a second-generation patient-specific metal implant. Detailed analysis of this new technology is essential to determine success in the gap of treatment options. Adherence to strict indications and implantation of a customised implant using specifically manufactured alignment and cutting guides has allowed for high patient reported scores and low early revision rate.
 
 
Meet us at a congress nearby!
 
Episurf endeavours to be present at relevant congresses where you can get in touch with us to learn more about our products and procedures.

This year, Episurf Medical will be attending, among others, WAC (Rome, 19-21 April), ESSKA (Glasgow, 9-12 May) and EFORT (Barcelona, 30 May-1 June).

For a complete overview of the meetings we are attending, follow: http://episurf.com/healthcare-professionals/conferences/.