For Customer Service Specialist II Lynn Mariotti, working with the Virtual Implant Positioning™ (VIP) and Digital Enabling Technologies (DET) teams is a daily joy.
“I started here four years ago and I am continually amazed by how the work we do is helping surgeons create better outcomes for their patients and making their lives so much better,” Lynn said.
The VIP system uses a CT scan of a patient’s anatomy to create a plan, providing surgeons with enhanced visibility into a patient’s anatomy. This also helps uncover any previously undetected abnormalities like osteophytes or other defects, prior to surgery.
“Preoperative planning allows the surgeon to visualize the patient’s anatomy and correct for any deformity through the selection and precise placement of implants,” said Product Manager Nick Butler. “Proprietary transfer technology brings the digital preoperative plan to the operating room, allowing the surgeon to confidently place the selected implants as planned while preserving native bone, improving patient outcomes.”
So, when Lynn’s 84-year-old father Calvin Myer started having shoulder pain so severe it was threatening his independence, she knew just what to do.
“My dad uses a wheelchair and he told me he was having trouble transferring from his chair to bed, for example,” she said. “So, we got a referral to an orthopedic surgeon and I made sure he was going to use Arthrex products.”
And that included having her own team design his surgical plan.
“It’s so incredible watching the people I work with so closely creating his plan,” Lynn said. “I am standing there beaming and they can all see that not only are they helping the patient and his surgeon, but his family, too.”
For DET Preoperative Specialist I Gabriela Pozo Trujillo, having the opportunity to be a part of the team that helped them makes her even more proud to work on this busy team.
“Lynn is very important to our group. She is the person we all go to for advice and words of encouragement given with a big smile,” she said. “Working on her dad’s case allowed me to show her that we are here for her too. It reaffirmed the impact our work has on patients and their ability to recover well from surgery.”
In the days leading up to his surgery, Calvin had a chance to meet the team creating his surgical plan and the 3D model of his shoulder.
“It’s very humbling that there is a facility like this in our backyard, where they are working to make my life so much better and safer,” Calvin said. “This is a very impressive campus with a lot of very smart people making a difference in people’s lives.”
And for him, the stakes were high.
“The pain is so severe, I can’t sleep at night for more than about half an hour at a time,” he said. “And transferring from my wheelchair has become extremely difficult. It’s time to say goodbye to that shoulder and get some new parts.”
Calvin got those new parts at the end of October, including a Univers Revers™ long stem and augmented MGS baseplate, and today, he is pain-free and on the road to regaining his independence.
“I am over the moon. I am so grateful that I got to be a part of the solution to help him,” Lynn said. “I could not be more Arthrex Proud.”