Groundbreaking clinical trial prepares for next phase As seen in this X-ray, a POP implant essentially acts as an extension of the patient’s limb. The titanium rod attaches to human bone and becomes stronger over time, eliminating many of the issues amputees endure. (Photo courtesy of Ed Salau) VA trial aims to change veterans’ prostheses forever topic for those who have lost a limb, since injuries or infections to the remaining “stump” can cause severe setbacks in a veteran’s recovery. It can limit mobility and may even lead to further amputations or other invasive procedures. The POP implant removes the need for a socket by surgically inserting a titanium rod into the patient’s remaining femur before attaching a docking station for prosthetic limbs. This design offers more comfort, increases range of movement, simplifies switching between specialized devices, helps amputees adjust to substrates, and provides a range of improvements in their mobility and quality of life. DAV caught up with Jacobs and Salau to ask how their new limbs have been performing and to see where the clinical trial stands today. “I don’t think about it anymore,” said Salau, who lost his leg in 2004 in Iraq when a rocket-propelled grenade hit the vehicle he was riding in. “It is the closest thing to a leg regeneration as I can get.” Salau spent the better part of eight years in a socket prosthesis, so he is well aware of the differences a POP implant provides to its patients. @DAVHQ | DAVHQ 11 By Bryan G. Lett “ ’m continually getting stronger,” Bryant Jacobs said. “There is no limitation now—it’s whatever my body will let me do and not what my leg will allow me to do. I wake up, put it on, and it’s on all day.” Roughly two and a half years ago, Jacobs and fellow Army veteran and amputee Ed Salau participated in a significant VA-funded clinical trial that sought to change the way we think about prostheses and the physical capabilities of the veterans wearing them. More than a decade of initial research went into the technique, and in December 2015, Jacobs and Salau became the first Americans to receive percutaneous osseointegrated prostheses, or POP implants, at the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System. For years, it has been a common practice for amputees to cap their truncated limbs with a latex sock and place it into the socket of a prosthesis. For many amputees, the socket attachment is difficult to wear for more than a few hours per day. Oftentimes the socket design causes swelling, pain and routine trips to the doctor’s office for refitting. It is, literally, a sensitive DAV.ORG | I FACEBOOK.COM/DAV |
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Groundbreaking clinical trial prepares for next phase
Bryan G. Lett
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