What is Smart Toe Implant?
Smart Toe implants are a type of medical device used in foot surgery, specifically designed for the correction of deformities like hammertoes. Hammertoes are a condition where one or more toes are bent at the middle joint, causing them to curl down rather than point forward.
Smart Toe implants represent an innovative approach in the field of podiatric surgery, offering an effective solution for hammertoe correction with the potential for a more comfortable and faster recovery for patients. However, the decision to use such implants should be made after a thorough consultation with a qualified foot and ankle surgeon, who can assess the specific needs and conditions of the patient.
Why Use the Smart Toe Implants?
Advantages of the Smart Toe implant are that the implant is one piece, no connection or failure point exists. There is no post operative implant exposure. Unaffected joints are not violated during the implantation of this implant. There is an active compressive force that is distributed through the implant that resists rotation. The procedure is simple with no need for implant removal, or changes in normal post operative care. The implant is composed of Nitinol, (an acronym for NIckel TItanium Naval Ordnance Laboratory) is a family of intermetallic materials, which contain a nearly equal mixture of nickel (55 wt. %) and titanium. Other elements can be added to adjust or “tune” the material properties. Nitinol exhibits unique behavior. The two terms used to describe this behavior are “Shape Memory” and “Superelasticity”.
Usage of the newer technologies for hammertoe arthrodesis will aid the foot surgeons in improved clinical outcomes. The Smart Toe implant utilizes new materials in a biomechanically ideal way to apply compression across the fusion site while avoiding the complications and technically involved nature of other products. Since no connection is needed, it avoids disconnection or implant failure. Since there is no aspect that is absorbed, early failure of the device is unlikely, and there is no need to remove the device as it does not cross unaffected joints. Applying compression across the arthrodesis site will reduce nonunion risks and the locking nature of the material insures equal and symmetrical compression.
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