A new knee-surgery device that will help repair meniscus tears (previously defined as irreparable) has been approved by the FDA for use in humans.

The meniscus, a padding tissue that provides shock absorption and joint stability in the knee, is crucial for normal knee function. Surgeries for meniscus tears are common with approximately one million occurring in the United States each year.

When meniscus function is deficient, bone rubs on bone and arthritis is likely to develop and progress. Because two-thirds of the meniscus is avascular (lacks a blood supply), a tear in that region will not repair itself.

The said device - BioDuct Meniscal Fixation Device - was investigated by a team of researchers from the University of Missouri-Columbia and developed by Herb Schwartz (president and CEO of Schwartz Biomedical, LLC), James Cook (MU professor of veterinary medicine and surgery) and William C. Allen (Endowed Scholar for orthopedic Research in MU's College of Veterinary Medicine).

BioDuct Meniscal Fixation Device will transport blood and cells from the vascular portion of the knee to the avascular portion of the meniscus - making the previously untreatable meniscal tear to have the potential for allowing the knee joint to be saved.

Currently, there is no other device that works like the BioDuct Meniscal Fixation Device.

The said device was previously tested in dogs prior to FDA-approval for human use.

Find more details from University of Missouri-Columbia.

[Photo Credit: Schwartz Biomedical, LLC]