Bhubaneswar: Bhubaneswar-based Dr Sarthak Patnaik becomes the first surgeon from Odisha to have successfully performed a rare surgery for soft tissue repair in the shoulder of a 64-year-old male patient using a biological dermal implant. The surgery was conducted on Tuesday at a Bhubaneswar hospital for the repair of rota cuff injury.

Moreover, it is for the first time in eastern India that such an implant was used for shoulder injury treatment. According to experts, using grafts for stitching of shoulder or rota cuff injuries is quite challenging. One of the major challenges is the selection of an appropriate graft or implant.

“Tissue mobility, quality, and tension are significant aspects that a surgeon needs to consider when determining the ideal method of surgical repair of rotator cuff tears,” Dr Patnaik explained.

In case of poor tissue quality, graft augmentation is essential to provide additional thickness, he shared. “The thin tissue may not be able to hold the high-tensile strength sutures, or, even if the tendon or soft tissue repairs, it may not be able to withstand the forces required for day-to-day activities, causing retear,” he said, while emphasising the significance of the implant he used for the surgery.

The implant that has been used in this case is the ArthroFLEX dermal patch. It has been derived from human tissue. “It is a strong graft, resistant to suture pull-through. It is capable of incorporation, revascularisation, and recellularization by the host body (patient),” he said.

The implant was unique for its decellularisation technology that ensures 97% DNA removal. Consequently, the chance of an inflammatory reaction is reduced to a great extent.

This advancement opens new possibilities in managing challenging rotator cuff injuries, offering better outcomes and faster functional recovery for patients. “It can also be used in case of superior capsule reconstruction, Achilles tendon repair, distal bicep augmentation, and for treating injuries in pectora and tendons in the foot and ankles,” he said, adding that the implant comes in various shapes and sizes.

Dr Patnaik said the patient who had come with the injury causing restricted movements was expected to recover fully in a few weeks. “The patient is stable and doing well after the surgery,” he said.