Jupiter Medical Center First in Palm Beach County to Offer Innovative Bear® Implant to Treat ACL Tears

The leader in quality, safety and patient experience, Jupiter Medical Center is pleased to announce it is the first in Palm Beach County to introduce the BEAR® Implant for treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, one of the most common knee injuries in the U.S. The BEAR Implant is designed to enable the body to heal its own torn ACL. This new approach is a paradigm shift from the current standard of care – reconstruction that replaces the ACL with a graft – and Jupiter Medical Center is pleased to offer this innovative procedure to patients.

Every year, approximately 400,000 ACL injuries occur in the United States. A torn ACL does not heal without treatment, resulting in ACL reconstruction being one of the most common orthopedic procedures in the U.S. Yet the procedure has drawbacks; some procedures may require two separate incisions, and some people who undergo reconstruction are unable to return to the same level of daily activities or sports.

Matthew Stiebel, MD, Board Certified in Orthopedic Sports Medicine, performed the procedure using the BEAR implant technology at The Anderson Family Orthopedic & Spine Center of Excellence at Jupiter Medical Center. Dr. Stiebel, Fellowship trained in Orthopedic Sports Medicine, completed his education at Yale School of Medicine and residency at McGill University in Montreal, and has been affiliated with Jupiter Medical Center for more than a decade. Dr. Stiebel performed the procedure on a 16-year-old Jupiter High School student who plays soccer at the collegiate level and who suffered an ACL tear during a recent match.

“There are a number of advantages to restoring a ligament instead of replacing it, and the BEAR Implant is an exciting medical technology that enables healing of the patient’s torn ACL while maintaining the natural knee anatomy,” said Matthew Stiebel, MD, Board Certified in Orthopedic Sports Medicine. “I am thrilled to provide this innovative technology to my patients at Jupiter Medical Center. Our goal is to improve recovery times so our patient-athletes can get back to doing the sports that they love.”

The BEAR Implant acts as a bridge to help ends of the torn ACL heal together. Dr. Stiebel injected a small amount of the patient’s own blood into the implant and inserted it between the torn ends of the ACL in a minimally invasive procedure. The combination of the BEAR Implant and the patient’s blood will enable the body to heal the torn ends of the ACL back together while maintaining the ACL’s original attachments to the femur and tibia. The patient, an elite student-athlete who plays soccer at high school and on several collegiate-level traveling teams throughout Florida, opted for the new procedure. After experiencing an ACL tear during a soccer match, the prognosis is excellent for the patient’s return to the sport in just several weeks, following a physical therapy protocol.

“Providing our community with access to the newest medical technology and leading-edge procedures is the driving force of our mission,” says Rogerio C. Lilenbaum, SVP and Chief Physician Executive of Jupiter Medical Center. “Our Anderson Family Orthopedic & Spine Center of Excellence is a destination not just for elite athletes seeking the latest treatments, but for physicians who are committed to providing their patients with the most innovative advancements on the market, as well.”

Jupiter Medical Center’s Anderson Family Orthopedic & Spine Center of Excellence is the only hospital in the state of Florida to have achieved all five of these highly-sought after distinctions: Blue Distinction Center+ for Knee & Hip Replacement and Spine Surgery; The Joint Commission certifications for Hip and Knee Replacement, Shoulder Replacement and Spine Surgery.