Hi everyone, this is a great story with an amazing outcome.
Enjoy!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10404251.stm
Bionic feet for amputee cat
A cat that had its back feet severed by a combine
harvester has been given two prosthetic limbs in a pioneering operation by a UK
vet.
The new feet are custom-made implants that "peg" the ankle to the foot. They
are bioengineered to mimic the way deer antler bone grows through the skin.
The operation - a world first - was carried out by Noel Fitzpatrick, a
veterinary surgeon based in Surrey.
His work is explored in a BBC documentary called The Bionic Vet.
The cat, named Oscar, was referred to Mr Fitzpatrick by his local vet in
Jersey, following the accident last October. Oscar was struck by the combine
harvester whilst dozing in the sun.
The prosthetic pegs, called intraosseous transcutaneous amputation
prosthetics (Itaps) were developed by a team from University College London led
by Professor Gordon Blunn, who is head of UCL's Centre for Biomedical
Engineering.
Professor Blunn and his team have worked in partnership with Mr Fitzpatrick
to develop these weight-bearing implants, combining engineering mechanics with
biology.
Mr Fitzpatrick explained: "The real revolution with Oscar is [that] we have
put a piece of metal and a flange into which skin grows into an extremely tight
bone."
"We have managed to get the bone and skin to grow into the implant and we
have developed an 'exoprosthesis' that allows this implant to work as a see-saw
on the bottom of an animal's limbs to give him effectively normal gait."
Professor Blunn told BBC News the idea was initially developed for patients
with amputations who have a "stump socket".
"This means they fix their artifical limb with a sock, which fits over the
stump. In a lot of cases this is sucessful, but you [often] get rubbing and
pressure sores."
The Itap technology is being tested in humans and has already been used to
create a prosthetic for a woman who lost her arm in the July 2005 London
bombings.
"The intriguing thing with Oscar was that he had two implants - one in each
back leg, and in quite an unusual site," Professor Blunn told BBC News.
He said that the success of this operation showed the potential of the
technology.
"Noel has some brilliant ideas," he added. "And we're continuing to work
closely with him to develop new technologies."
Linda
Enjoy!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10404251.stm
Bionic feet for amputee cat
A cat that had its back feet severed by a combine
harvester has been given two prosthetic limbs in a pioneering operation by a UK
vet.
The new feet are custom-made implants that "peg" the ankle to the foot. They
are bioengineered to mimic the way deer antler bone grows through the skin.
The operation - a world first - was carried out by Noel Fitzpatrick, a
veterinary surgeon based in Surrey.
His work is explored in a BBC documentary called The Bionic Vet.
The cat, named Oscar, was referred to Mr Fitzpatrick by his local vet in
Jersey, following the accident last October. Oscar was struck by the combine
harvester whilst dozing in the sun.
The prosthetic pegs, called intraosseous transcutaneous amputation
prosthetics (Itaps) were developed by a team from University College London led
by Professor Gordon Blunn, who is head of UCL's Centre for Biomedical
Engineering.
Professor Blunn and his team have worked in partnership with Mr Fitzpatrick
to develop these weight-bearing implants, combining engineering mechanics with
biology.
Mr Fitzpatrick explained: "The real revolution with Oscar is [that] we have
put a piece of metal and a flange into which skin grows into an extremely tight
bone."
"We have managed to get the bone and skin to grow into the implant and we
have developed an 'exoprosthesis' that allows this implant to work as a see-saw
on the bottom of an animal's limbs to give him effectively normal gait."
Professor Blunn told BBC News the idea was initially developed for patients
with amputations who have a "stump socket".
"This means they fix their artifical limb with a sock, which fits over the
stump. In a lot of cases this is sucessful, but you [often] get rubbing and
pressure sores."
The Itap technology is being tested in humans and has already been used to
create a prosthetic for a woman who lost her arm in the July 2005 London
bombings.
"The intriguing thing with Oscar was that he had two implants - one in each
back leg, and in quite an unusual site," Professor Blunn told BBC News.
He said that the success of this operation showed the potential of the
technology.
"Noel has some brilliant ideas," he added. "And we're continuing to work
closely with him to develop new technologies."
Linda
