Lazurite, Minnetronix Medical make wireless surgical camera a reality

Lazurite and Minnetronix Medical have announced that the ArthroFree Wireless Surgical Camera System has achieved its final major milestone on the way to market: its first successful human use and the completion of its transfer to manufacturing. ArthroFree is the firstwireless surgical camera system to receive FDA market clearance for arthroscopy and general endoscopy. 

Lazurite, a developer of innovative medical devices designed to set new operating room standards for efficiency and patient safety, worked with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Laith Jazrawi at NYU Langone Orthopedic Center to perform the first surgery using the ArthroFree wireless camera on September 13, 2022. In the coming weeks, additional surgeries will be performed at NYU Langone and other leading orthopedic centers using the system, which enables real-time, high-quality images without the intrusion of cords. Minnetronix, which specializes in designing, developing, manufacturing, and commercializing complex optical systems, scaled the manufacturing of ArthroFree from early pilot builds to market-ready production at its expanded New Product Introduction facility. 

The camera is another ‘first’ from the Minnetronix optics team, which specializes in designing, developing, manufacturing, and commercializing complex optical systems. The Minnetronix team was integral to reducing latency and enhancing image quality for the ArthroFree System, including development of an innovative image signal processing chain, the path an image takes to travel from initial capture on a sensor to a screen. Minnetronix also aided in development of the device’s light engine and mastered the production of its complex handpiece, increasing production speed and efficiency by developing a modular strategy of batch assembling subassemblies and finishing assembly inside a clean room.

According to Lazurite president Leah Brownlee, the accelerated production process also required creative solutions to supply chain challenges. “The Minnetronix team helped identify longer lead time components early on and, when necessary, they secured alternative or supplemental suppliers to alleviate risks with critical components. When unavoidable supply chain disruptions did arise, our teams collaborated effectively to quickly resolve them. For example, when there was an unexpected shortage for a critical circuit board component, the Lazurite team quickly validated and approved a new design-ready alternative while the Minnetronix team quickly sourced and then validated the new component to ensure manufacturing process readiness. Our shared goal was an accelerated and uninterrupted product launch,” Brownlee says.

“Today’s supply chain environment requires close collaboration between the device company, the development and manufacturing partner, and the entire supply chain, to anticipate risks, adapt to challenges, and make smart decisions along the production journey,” says Matt Adams, vice president and general manager of Minnetronix’s optical business. “Because we expect great market demand for this wireless camera, we had to keep the production pace on track. Our optics team is excited to help Lazurite set another standard in the operating room by removing the cords from the surgical camera while maintaining excellent image quality We want to get the product in the hands of surgeons as soon as possible.”