Now Compatible: Using Comb with Össur Design Studio

In the last couple of months the staff at Comb has noticed an increasing number of practitioners combining Comb (to 3D scan) and Össur Design Studio (to rectify). Össur was also conducting their own internal testing of Comb and since then has begun recommending Comb as an approved scanning option to their customers. We had the chance to sit down with Aaron Jacobsen, Senior Clinical Manager at Össur, to ask about their experience with our scanner and why Össur recommends using Comb with Design Studio.

How did you hear about Comb?

I first heard about Comb from a prosthetist at Össur who had the necessary phone and downloaded it to see how well it worked. Then another prosthetist at Össur got it and we worked together on a model that he captured with Comb 3D in Össur Design Studio. I was very impressed with the image and overall detail Comb captured. Equally, I was impressed with the socket fit. Zero ply fit and the patient was comfortable.

We have a few customers who are asking if they can use Comb with Design Studio. I’ve seen them look for alternatives to the Structure scanner. My impression is that customers are curious about a feasible way to capture shapes with minimal equipment investment and less worry about keeping track of all the pieces needed to be successful with other scanning methods.

Why do you recommend Comb as a scanner?

I recommend using Comb for a couple reasons. Since I personally feel very comfortable with plaster (because my marks transfer over and identify boney prominences), Comb does an excellent job of displaying those marks and it helps me in the modification process. But most importantly for the industry, we see clinical time is needed for office notes, outcome measures, communication with physicians and therapists. Efficiency in our industry constantly evolves to meet the needs of the prosthetist. Comb and Design Studio are natural steps forward to allow a prosthetist time to help improve a patient’s mobility and increase the level of patient care.

A practitioner should choose Comb if…

1) You’re interested in freeing up your time.

2) You would like to digitally modify a model that looks more like plaster than a foam carving

3) You are interested in scanning but want minimal investment in equipment 

How do you use Comb and Design Studio together?

Design Studio and Comb work well together.  First I download my scan from the Comb portal, then opened the Design Studio web based app, and then uploaded the scan file into a patient file.  From there, I scale the model, align, put in measurements, and begin modifying.  The colors and marks on the model are transferred to Design Studio very well, and when I blend, I can turn the marks off so I don’t over blend.  For transfemoral patients I can scan, them add a brim to the patient’s own limb shape. I personally like this because I like using a scan, even though TF by measurements is also a very good option in Design Studio.

Why is the Digital Workflow important in O&P?

The Digital Workflow is important because while our hands and skill in modification, fabrication, fitting, alignment, and general troubleshooting are very important for a patient, we can do much of this digitally and free our time. That time can be used to help a patient improve mobility, it could be spent going through exercises, making a plan with their PT, marketing to a PT or physician. We could be spending more time talking to the patient about their mobility by doing an AMP-PRO. All of that matters. If we keep the Patient mobility as our priority, that’s where we should try to focus our time. The Digital Workflow helps to reduce the amount of time spent away from the patient.

Is now the right time to switch to Digital?

I think now is a great time to move to digital. I tried digital ten years ago and got to be decent at modifying and capturing models, but the cost was high and the images didn’t look like the plaster I was used to. Even though digital takes away the sense of touch we’re used to with plaster, the way we’re capturing images and displaying them with Comb and Design Studio simulates the hands-on fabrication process without the latency and cost of plaster fabrication. Also, the lighting and shapes are much easier to understand than they were 10 years ago and the learning curve for the Digital Workflow is much easier to manage than it was in the past.

One prosthetist and amputee told me it was scary how good the socket felt after 1 scan and 17 minutes of modifying. He said it felt like his socket he currently wears. He’s now one of the best customers with Design Studio and I know his patients are getting sockets that are scary good, every time. He’s as good as he was in plaster and maybe even better.

I see fabrication being more and more outsourced in the future. You already see outcome measures being published in some large-scale studies. This will continue, and with it, prosthetics offices will be more focused on helping amputees maintain or improve their mobility. The demand for this time will effect prosthetists and some technicians may be recruited to help with outcomes. Insurance is already starting programs to pay for better outcomes in other medical professions. This industry will eventually follow suit. Of course fittings are necessary for these outcomes, so strong shape capture, modification, and fabrication are important.

We are at a point where success with new technology is more attainable for the gray-haired prosthetist. We also have many young and tech savvy prosthetists entering the field, and schools are training them in outcomes and digital fabrication.

Additionally, we see smaller offices being added to medical buildings or prosthetists fitting patients remotely. Neither of these situations are conducive to in house fabrication. At Össur we have learned that business solutions for our customers are every bit as important as having the best liners, feet, knees and hands on the market. With Össur legs, you could scan with Comb 3D, modify with Össur Design Studio, then order a leg. It would be shipped to you in 1 box, assembled. For quite a few clinics this has proven to be a good business and quality of life solution.

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Interested in giving Comb a try?

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