Vanguard® Complete Knee System

Mid Florida Ortho

The Vanguard® Complete Knee represents the clinical heritage of other Biomet® knee systems and combines it with state-of-the-art design features to produce the most comprehensive total knee system available today.

Gender and Knee Replacement

Currently, some implant companies are marketing orthopedic knee replacements designed specifically for women. Biomet believes that implants should be designed to accommodate any individual's anatomy regardless of race, stature, or gender.

Let's take a closer look at some of the issues and design features associated with modern knee replacement.

Increased Motion

An important issue for knee implant design is how the kneecap moves against the new femoral component. Knee implants are designed with a groove, or track, that the kneecap rides in as the leg straightens and bends. How this track is designed is important because it partially determines how mobile the knee is and, to a certain extent, the level of comfort the implant provides.

The Vanguard® Knee implant was designed with a more forgiving track, which allows the knee to achieve motion without sacrificing healthy bone during surgery. Additionally, some manufacturers promote that the angle at which the kneecap moves against the thighbone is higher in women. However, one study actually indicates that a person's height has a greater affect on the tracking angle than his or her gender.1 The Vanguard® Knee is designed with a unique kneecap track that allows the knee implant to match nearly any patient regardless of gender or stature.

High Flexion

The Vanguard® Complete Knee is engineered to accommodate up to 145 degrees of flexion without the need to remove additional healthy bone.* A high degree of flexion is an important consideration for any person desiring to continue leading an active, productive lifestyle.

Implant Comfort

The Vanguard® system offers the broadest range of available implant sizes. This is important because implants that are too wide can hang over the bone and irritate the soft tissues in the knee. When the Vanguard® Knee was introduced in 2003, it was the narrowest knee on the market, providing a more natural feeling implant.

Custom Fit

The Vanguard® Knee features 90 different size combinations and ten femoral size options, more than any other knee replacement system.

With more size options than other implant manufacturers, surgeons can provide more of a custom fit to patient's bones.

Additionally, any size femoral implant is engineered to fit with any size tibial implant. This provides more size options than other implant manufacturers, which allows surgeons to provide more of a custom fit of each Vanguard® femoral and tibial implant to patients' bones, addressing the largest possible percentage of the population.

Durability

Polyethylene (plastic) is used to replace the damaged cartilage at the top of the tibia (shinbone). The polyethylene acts to absorb the stress of everyday activities. The Vanguard® Complete Knee System's polyethylene components are Direct Compression Molded to help increase the implant's longevity. The process of direct compression molding has been shown to produce more durable implant components than other conventional methods.

If you have questions regarding the Vanguard® Complete Knee System, please speak with an orthopedic surgeon.

Only an orthopedic surgeon can determine what treatment is appropriate. Individual results of total joint replacement may vary. The life of any implant will depend on your weight, age, activity level, and other factors (see patient risk information above).