Cyrano, a ten-year-old tabby cat and cancer survivor, was given a new chance to walk recently as part of the latest project involving the collaboration between the ISE department and the College of Veterinary Medicine. This marks the first feline to receive an osseointegrated knee implant.
Dr. Ola Harrysson and his team worked diligently to come up with a solution small enough to fit the needs specific to an animal as tiny as a cat. Dr. Marcellin-Little of the College of Veterinary Medicine performed Cyrano’s surgery on January 26, and Cyrano is expected to be fully recovered in about three months.
Cyrano’s bones were weakened because of the disease and also the treatment itself, so designing the implant was a tricky endeavor. The implant itself is no larger than a common tube of lip balm. While hip and knee replacement surgery in canines is becoming quite common, there is still some development needed for similar surgeries for felines. This surgery helps pave the road for a more diverse collection of animals to receive similar treatments.
The collaboration highlights the efforts of the ISE department, as well as the engineers and surgeons themselves, to improve cross-disciplinary skills and be leaders in a multitude of areas.