MedStar Health Among First in the Region to Use Smart Knee Technology for Total Knee Replacements

Sensor implanted with knee replacement captures biometric data for real-time feedback from provider to patient during recovery.

COLUMBIA, Md –Orthopedic surgeons at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital and MedStar Montgomery Medical Center are among the first in Maryland to have performed knee replacement procedures using the Persona IQ “smart knee,” an innovative implant with a sensor that securely collects motion data during a patient’s first year of recovery.

The Persona IQ implant sensor, integrated into the stem extension of the joint, is made of biocompatible materials and is the same length as a standard stem used on the implant. The sensor captures select measures of knee function, such as step count, stride length, walking speed, cadence, and range of motion, and wirelessly uploads the information overnight to a secure software application, via a small bedside transponder, when patients sleep within six feet of it. It does not track the patient’s location.

The battery in the smart stem does not require replacement. It typically is depleted after at least ten years and the joint then functions as a normal knee implant, simply no longer transmitting data.

Dr. Mark Hasenauer implanted the first smart knee ten weeks ago at MedStar Union Memorial in a 66-year-old Frederick woman named Mary. After a debilitating knee injury last year and failed conservative treatments, Mary opted for the smart implant because she values innovation and saw the potential for greater outcome.

“I consider myself an early adopter,” Mary said. “I liked the idea that the doctor was able to monitor my motion data and give me real time feedback. Around the fourth or fifth week after surgery, Dr. Hasenauer noticed my steps had dropped,” Mary said. “I told him I had developed painful tendonitis. He reassured me I was still on track, and he could see the numbers increase again as I improved. It made me feel seen and supported.”

“The goal is not to replace clinical assessments,” said Dr. Hasenauer, who has since replaced nearly a dozen knees with the smart implant, “but to strengthen what we know about recovery. Every patient heals differently. Persona IQ can help keep patients engaged and allow us to track patterns in mobility between visits, taking age and the healing time into consideration.”

At MedStar Montgomery Medical Center last week, Dr. Katharine Harper’s first patient was a 72-year-old man. He went home the same day.

Patients can also opt in to a national database that collects information from unidentified patients from all over the United States.

“Across the country, billions of motion data points are being collected,” Dr. Harper explained. “We’re beginning to detect gait curves that traditionally required a laboratory setting, where patients would be analyzed by cameras and sensors to measure gait and muscle function. Persona IQ can provide those gait curves from a patient’s everyday movement. These curves may allow us to identify underlying issues earlier than if we wait for them to present clinically.”

With the first Persona IQ implants completed at two MedStar Health hospitals, the system is positioned to contribute meaningful data and patient experience insights as smart implant technology continues to evolve.

“Our mission is to deliver care that is both innovative and deeply personal,” Dr. Hasenauer said. “Smart implants allow us to better understand how patients recover in real life, not just in the exam room."