The BEAR Implant for ACL Repair
The BEAR (Bridge Enhanced ACL Restoration) Implant, developed by Miach Orthopedic is the first medical advancement that enables the patient’s body to heal its own anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Before this advancement, ACL surgeries consisted of reconstruction and replacements of tendons from the patient’s body or a deceased donor. On the other hand, the BEAR uses the patient’s blood to heal the torn ends of the ACL back together by forming a clot that bridges the gap between each end. The implant facilitates the body’s healing response by supporting cell migration and proliferation. Within eight weeks, the BEAR Implant is resorbed and replaced with native cells, collagen and blood vessels, allowing the new tissue to remodel and strengthen over time. Dr. Glashow completed the first commercial surgery using the BEAR Implant technology to heal the ACL in October 2021.
Dr. Jonathan Glashow is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He is the Chief Medical Officer and Team Physician for the New Jersey Devils and Chief Medical Advisor for the Philadelphia 76ers and Crystal Palace FC.
The BEAR Implant was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2020 and is indicated for skeletally mature patients at least 14 years of age with a complete rupture of the ACL confirmed by MRI. The BEAR device is recommended to be implanted within 50 days of injury.
A few benefits of performing the BEAR procedure to repair the ACL are:
- Helps your own ACL heal
- Restores the torn ACL quality and size similar to your own non-injured ACL
- Faster recovery of muscle strength
- No need for grafts which means no second wound site
- No worries about donor graft or risk of disease
- Higher patient satisfaction with being ready to return to sport
- Significantly less invasive than traditional reconstructive surgery
Dr. Glashow specializes exclusively in Orthopedic/Sports Medicine Surgery including shoulder and knee injuries including advanced arthroscopic all-inside anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, revision ACL reconstruction surgery, as well as state-of-the-art techniques for arthroscopic rotator cuff repair surgery, shoulder labral repair surgery, MCL repair surgery, meniscal transplants surgery, fractures, and separated shoulder surgery.
Dr. Glashow’s approach is based on his philosophy that each procedure is specific and customized to the individual needs of each patient. He uses minimally invasive arthroscopic techniques along with Biologics-PRP and Mesenchymal Cells so that downtime and immobility are greatly reduced. Dr. Glashow’s focus is not only a patient’s full recovery but the speed of that recovery to return to sport. To optimize this intent he coordinates post-operative care which often involves detailed interaction with physical therapists, coaches, and athletic trainers.
By Dr. Jonathan Glashow