When the hospital that Wayne State University Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery Rahul Vaidya, M.D., practiced and taught at eliminated the use of printed X-rays, the ability to plan out surgeries was lost as well.
“The digital platforms that were out there for planning surgery were expensive and not very good, so we had to come up with a solution,” he said.
Enter Bonesetter.
Dr. Vaidya, chair of the WSU School of Medicine’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and interim chair of the school’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, initially developed the software application with friend Andrew Knapp for his orthopedic surgery residents.
The software platform is now in use by tens of thousands of surgeons in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and South America.
Designed to support orthopaedic surgeons in surgical planning and execution, the app allows users to import and size digital images, draw out fracture fragments and move those fragments to reduced positions. From the user’s iPad, tablet, computer or mobile phone, implants can be sized and placed precisely to X-rays and digital images from picture archiving and communications systems.
The app continues to morph based on users’ needs and feedback.
“It’s continuously evolving into a very powerful program on planning surgery, from fracture fixation to total joint arthroplasty, deformity planning and correction, and even for veterinary surgery,” Dr. Vaidya said. “We use it to plan surgery every day and so do most people around the world who use it. It is very accurate in sizing and correction.”
Dr. Vaidya joined the WSU faculty in 2009 and serves as the site director of the Wayne State University School of Medicine clerkship surgery rotation and as director of the Orthopaedic Trauma Rotation in the WSU Department of Emergency Medicine.
By allowing residents to plan and review a surgery step-by-step before performing it, Bonesetter aids in their training. Matt Mazur, M.D., a fifth-year resident in the Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State University Orthopedic Surgery Residency Program, is among its many users. He was introduced to the Bonesetter app as a University of Toledo, Ohio, fourth-year medical student during his orthopedic surgery audition rotation. He has spent a significant amount of time utilizing the app since then.
“From a surgical trainee perspective, the Bonesetter app provides an awesome opportunity to learn principles of radiographic imaging and surgical implants in a unique, interactive way. Its clinical utility becomes obvious as you advance through training and begin to form your own pre-operative plans,” Dr. Mazur said.” The app’s interactive platform greatly enhances your ability to characterize MSK (musculoskeletal) injuries and to form strategies for appropriate surgical fixation. It truly has become an invaluable part of my orthopedic education and surgical training over the past several years, and I encourage any interested orthopedic trainee or medical student to explore the Bonesetter app to its fullest extent.”
For more information on the software platform, visit Detroitbonesetter.com.