Patient Stories

Kimberly's Story

Kimberly was a 17-year-old senior. At school, she enjoyed spending time in music and theater, and she also loved to go bowling with her dad. Like many teenagers her age, Kimberly was preparing to go to college, but she had one major difference - she had been living with scoliosis since she was five years old.

Kimberly never wanted to have surgery, but after a life of back braces, exercises and the realization of the lasting effects it would have on her life, she opted to have surgery. After three months of missing school, grueling physical therapy, and a long list of painkillers, Kimberly is now standing straighter, taller, thinner and healthier. She is very grateful for such a positive outcome and since her surgery she has graduated from college and has started a career in physical therapy.

Kimberly’s surgeon used the AQUAMANTY^® System with TRANSCOLLATION^® technology during her scoliosis surgery, which involves a very large incision down to the bottom of the spine. This technology provided her surgeon with the ability to minimize or reduce Kimberly’s blood loss during her surgery.

Melissa's Story

Melissa is a brave young woman. She was thirteen years old when she was admitted to a children’s hospital after falling during a walk out to the car. X-rays at that time showed that she had actually broken her femur, and the most likely reason was because of a cancerous tumor in her bone tissue. The advanced imaging also revealed that the tumor had been slowly destroying the structural support of her femur.

Her first surgery was a combination of a biopsy and the placement of a metal frame with steel and fiberglass pins, designed to hold her bones together while they healed. The results of the biopsy confirmed a malignant cancer of the bone called an osteosarcoma. She endured months of chemotherapy, followed by surgeries to remove the pins and then more surgery to remove the tumor and rebuild her leg. The surgeries went smoothly, and she did well through them all. Melissa’s bravery, courage, strength and inspiring life continue to shine as an example to all who know her and her story.

Melissa’s surgeon used the AQUAMANTYS System with TRANSCOLLATION technology during this very large surgical procedure that involved removing a large portion – approximately half - of her femur. In doing this, her surgeon had to cut through tissue that exposed raw muscle edges and vessels. Her surgeon was able to reduce bleeding and blood loss during the procedure by using TRANSCOLLATION technology.

David's Story

David’s knee problems originated from injuries sustained in an automobile accident when he was 16 years old. Over the years, those injuries had resulted in severe osteoarthritis, which had been described to him as “bone on bone” for at least 5 years prior to his surgery. Like most people in that situation, he delayed the surgery as long as possible until his quality of life was impacted.

When that time came, David had been an engineer here at Salient Surgical Technologies (TissueLink Medical at the time) and was a firm believer in the technology’s ability to improve surgical outcomes. As a result, he sought out a local orthopedic surgeon who not only had performed several hundred total knee arthroplasties but also was a firm believer in TRANSCOLLATION technology and used it on a regular basis. As a result of his preoperative discussions, David and his surgeon decided there was no need to predonate blood for this surgery since the AQUAMANTYS System devices would be used to limit blood loss. At that time, post-knee replacement blood transfusions and the associated risks were the accepted norm.

Like so many TRANSCOLLATION^®-enhanced surgeries, David’s TKA was a complete success that changed his life without exposing himself to the risks associated with postoperative blood transfusions. David is very glad that he elected to have TRANSCOLLATION Technology as part of his surgery, and he is very proud of the part that he’s played in helping Salient Surgical Technologies improve surgical outcomes for patients all over the world.