New device ‘can improve success rate for knee surgery’

A man recovers from his knee surgery.

Scientists have developed a new device which they claim can improve the success rate for surgery on a knee injury.

The rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee are common in sportspersons. Until now, it has been treated with screws that bind the damaged ligament to the bone but this method often fails as the screw slips out of place.

Now, a team at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland has developed the device, known as GraftBolt, which could fix the problem -- by squeezing the bone and ligament together and it is less likely to slip free.

The scientists say it increases the reliability of ACL reconstruction and reduces the need for follow-up procedures, ’The Scotsman’ reported.

Dr Bin Wang, who led the team, said: “GraftBolt aims to improve the patient’s quality of life by successfully repairing their injury first time and improving the quality of bonding of the graft to the bone.”