Orthopaedic surgery pioneer, Dr. Steven Chudik, awarded patent for an arthroscopic total shoulder replacement surgery method

The United States Patent and Trademark Office recently granted Dr. Steven Chudik with the Steven Chudik MD Shoulder, Knee & Sports Injury Clinic, Westmont, Ill., another patent, US 9,445,910 B2, for his original method of minimally invasive shoulder replacement surgery. He previously received a patent for arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.

Dr. Chudik’s minimally invasive shoulder replacement procedure is under development and potential benefits for patients will include:

• The shoulder does not have to be dislocated.
• The rotator cuff muscles are not cut.
• Bone is preserved.
• The procedure can be done as outpatient surgery.
• Patients do not have to wear a sling after surgery
• Recovery is four to six weeks, not four to six months required today with traditional, open total shoulder replacement surgery.

“The patent process required a tremendous amount of work and persistence. In all, I think the process took about 12 years,” said Dr. Chudik. “Because of the many benefits this procedure can provide to people with arthritic shoulders , I am hopeful development will continue to move forward and it can be approved for its intended use in the United States,” he explained. “Versions of my procedure are being performed in Europe and it is being used in the U.S. to arthroscopically transplant cartilage in arthritic shoulders as a 'biologic' shoulder replacement alternative,” he added.

According to Dr. Chudik, a biologic total shoulder replacement is not for everyone because of the transplanted cartilage’s limited survivorship and durability. “We still are working towards developing more durable artificial materials to resurface the shoulder,” explained Dr. Chudik.

In addition to this patent, Dr. Chudik developed several other novel surgical instruments and techniques for shoulder and knees, and continues to be an innovator improving treatments and outcomes for patients worldwide. “Every day when surgery is over, I mentally run through the day and ask myself how can this be done better? That’s how most of my ideas start,” Dr. Chudik explained.

In practice since 2002, Dr. Chudik earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, completed his residency at the University of North Carolina, and a fellowship in sports medicine and shoulder surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery, the No. 1 ranked orthopaedic hospital by US News & World Report for ten out of the last 12 years.

To further his academic interests, Dr. Chudik is a clinical assistant professor in orthopaedics and research mentor for honors medical students at Loyola University, Chicago, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, and Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine, Chicago. He also conducts research at Argonne National Laboratory, Batavia, IL, and at the Hines VA Hospital Musculosketal Biomechanics Laboratory, Hines, IL. The author of countless papers and journal articles, Dr. Chudik is the founder of the nonprofit Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine Teaching and Research Foundation and serves as a team physician for USA Swimming Sports Medicine and Science Network High Performance Team, as well as several local club and high school sports teams.

Photos: Arthroscopic pioneer, Dr. Steven Chudik, recently received a patent for a minimally invasive, total shoulder replacement method. The current procedure used by orthopaedic surgeons is open surgery and requires the dislocation of the patient’s shoulder and cutting of the rotator cuff muscles. Dr. Chudik’s new procedure is minimally invasive and avoids dislocation and muscle cutting and most important, preserves bone so the patient has options in the future should further surgery be necessary. Shown above are some of Dr. Chudik’s minimally invasive surgical instrument innovations and an X-ray of a partial resurfaced humeral head with one of his surgical advancements implanted. Dr. Chudik is a partner at Hinsdale Orthopaedics and founder of the Orthopaedic Surgery and sports Medicine Teaching and Research Foundation (OTRF), a nonprofit foundation dedicated to research and education as a means to help prevent injuries and keep people active.