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Published 12/18/2019

Fundamental Surgery Achieves CME Accreditation from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons for VR Total Knee Arthroplasty Simulation

Haptic Virtual Reality Training Platform Creates Immersive Real-world Training Experience and Offers Access to New Technologies

Rosemont, Ill. (December 18, 2019) – Today, Fundamental Surgery is announcing that its Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) simulation was reviewed by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and has been awarded accreditation status. The award demonstrates the Academy’s commitment to innovation in medical education and will allow orthopaedic surgeons to collect CME credits while utilizing the cutting-edge haptic VR platform.

With this accreditation, Fundamental Surgery’s TKA simulation is confirmed as an activity that meets the stringent criteria set by the AAOS for learning modalities that qualify for CME credits. The combination of VR and haptics, along with data around knowledge and performance analysis, allows Fundamental Surgery to provide a “surgical skills score.” Specifically, the system and its haptics enable measurement of an orthopaedic surgeon’s “hands on” knowledge through assessing correct angles, depths, attention to the surgical site and more, all producing key data points. This scoring methodology is cross referenced with AAOS’ requirements for competency. Once completing and passing the procedure, a trainee can obtain three CME credits.

“The AAOS strives to ensure that educational programs designed for orthopaedic surgeons meet the criteria of the accreditation requirements of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education,” said Anna Salt Troise, Chief Education Strategist, AAOS. “For the first time, we’re expanding these programs into the VR space to help our members and residents experience and navigate the same visuals, sounds and feelings they would during a real surgical procedure while obtaining CME credits. The Fundamental Surgery TKA simulation does just that by offering both an exciting training opportunity, as well as a look at how VR training is guiding the future.”

“Educational sources of learning and member development, such as the AAOS, provide significant value to surgeons in practice and training through quality assured courses, online content and now with our Haptic VR simulations,” said Peter Rainger, Chief Learning Officer of Fundamental VR. “We’re truly delighted to have been awarded accreditation and will continue to work with the AAOS on our library of orthopaedic simulations, ensuring they meet the stringent educational quality criteria, and allowing us to offer training that is valuable for trainees as well as attending surgeons.”

About Fundamental Surgery
Named as one of the best inventions of 2018 by Time magazine, the Fundamental Surgery platform combines virtual reality (VR) with cutting-edge haptics to create a scalable ‘flight simulator’ experience for surgeons.  They’ll feel the movement and interaction of tissue, muscle and bone which reflects the experience in a procedure, and is proven to support knowledge and surgical skills transfer. Additionally the use of haptics enables highly accurate data capture and subsequent analysis. Fundamental Surgery has a library of tools and tissue variants that mimic real life sensations that have been calibrated by a leading team of surgeons and KOLs.

Fundamental Surgery is being developed and deployed in partnership with hospitals and medical device companies in Orthopedics, Ophthalmology, Vascular, Cardiothoracic, General and Neurosurgery.

For further information about Fundamental Surgery, please visit: www.fundamentalsurgery.com.

About the AAOS

With more than 39,000 members, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is the world’s largest medical association of musculoskeletal specialists. The AAOS is the trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal health. It provides the highest quality, most comprehensive education to help orthopaedic surgeons and allied health professionals at every career level best treat patients in their daily practices. The AAOS is the source for information on bone and joint conditions, treatments and related musculoskeletal health care issues and it leads the health care discussion on advancing quality.

For more information about the AAOS, visit AAOS.org or follow the AAOS on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

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Contact AAOS Media Relations 

Deanna Killackey 
847-384-4035
killackey@aaos.org

 

Lauren Riley 
847-384-4031
pearson@aaos.org