ArthroFree™
Wireless Arthroscopy Made Possible
We combined our proprietary light and camera technologies to create the modular ArthroFree wireless camera system for minimally invasive surgery.
By eliminating surgical tower components (and the connecting cables), the ArthroFree wireless system has the potential to add substantial value across the healthcare system—reducing costs by improving safety and efficiency in the operating room.
The ArthroFree Difference
Value
- The ArthroFree wireless system—surgical camera + receiver—is equipped with the Meridiem™ Light Engine (MLE™), and requires a fraction of the energy of comparable wired camera systems: 0.4W vs. 300W, which is ⅛ of 1%. (That’s not a typo.)
- The ArthroFree wireless system is designed to simplify sterilization, decrease setup and breakdown times, and eliminate the need for the light source and the power source on the surgical tower.
Freedom
- The ArthroFree wireless system will eliminate the hazards of fiber-optic cables, along with the need for camera cable management by surgical assistants.
- Our FCC/FDA-approved wireless protocol delivers a military-grade, reliable wireless connection, and patient-data security.
Compatibility
- The ArthroFree receiver is plug-and-play compatible with current patient data consoles and monitors.
- The ArthroFree wireless camera handset features universal C-mount rigid endoscope compatibility.1
Wireless Medtech for Operating Room Efficiency and Patient Safety
When we interviewed surgeons about the operating room, they focused on workflow inefficiencies, and told us over and over:
“I just want the tools not to get in my way.”
Forty years after its invention, the legacy camera still connects to the surgical tower via cables, which are associated with patient burns and healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).
Each year:
- Up to 5% of all hospital admissions acquire HAIs (~722,000 infections).
- 75,000 patients die of HAI-related causes.
- The annual cost of HAIs ranges from $28–33 billion.
We’re committed to building a pipeline of healthcare devices that offer durable, substantial improvements to people’s lives.
To eliminate the cables, we combined:
- A secure, reliable, military-grade wireless connection between the handset and the surgical tower.
- A lightweight rechargeable power source.
- The MLE, our novel low-heat, high-efficient light engine.
The MLE has potential applications as a power-and-light component in multiple industries, including healthcare, aerospace, and manufacturing.2
ArthroFree™ Stakeholder Surgeons.
ArthroFree and Market Opportunities
The US market:
20K
arthroscopic operating rooms
3-5
cameras per operating room
4-year
camera replacement cycle
20K
new camera purchases per year
Policymakers Accelerate Need for New Surgical Cameras
In the US, surgeons perform more than 5.4 million arthroscopic surgeries every year. We plan to introduce ArthroFree first to the US market in 2022 ($1.35 billion, 2019; CAGR = 5.4%) and, soon thereafter, the global arthroscopic market (US $4.1 billion, 2019; CAGR = 6.3%). Likewise, our ArthroFree technology platform has potential application in endoscopic surgical specialties.
Global endoscopy market, by 2022: US $40.8 billion (5.7% CAGR)
Minimally invasive surgery continues to be the preferred option for treatments as wide ranging as tumor resection to complex spinal pathology. And that’s especially the case at ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), which have widespread favor over hospitals due to cost savings. New ASCs mean newly equipped tech suites, for orthopedics and beyond.
Expected growth of ASC market valuation, 2020 to 2027: 262%3
Our Partners, Patents, and the Pathway to Market
Demonstration of the ArthroFree™ System.
Our partners
A sample of our patents
- 01
ArthroFree handset:
US(x2), Australia, and Japan
- 02
ArthroFree handset (design):
Registered in Australia, Europe, Hong Kong, and UK
- 03
Light engine:
US, China, Hong Kong, and Japan
- 04
Light engine (design):
Registered in Australia, Europe, Hong Kong and UK
Number of patents pending (June 2021): 24
The pathway to market
The ArthroFree wireless surgical camera system is not yet FDA approved. The approval pathway for the ArthroFree system is as a non-de-novo 510(k) under Sec. 888.1100 HRX as a Class II surgical device.