Certified Prosthetists Role with Bone-Anchored / Osseointegrated Prostheses

Bone-anchored prostheses (also known as osseointegration, or OI) have existed since the early 1990s. Since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has awarded approval for the surgical procedure and components associated with this technology, commercial distribution of OI prostheses is now possible.

Orthotic and/or prosthetic care provided by ABC certified professionals does not include independent provision of invasive procedures; however, certified prosthetists do play a role in the provision of bone-anchored prostheses. Once the surgical procedure has been completed  and the surgeon has cleared the patient for weight-bearing, the certified prosthetist can initiate prosthetic treatment.

This type of prosthetic intervention has unique requirements concerning the type of connector component used with the external adapter (sometimes called the abutment). The certified prosthetist must receive a written order from the treating physician and training from the specific manufacturer for the use and maintenance of all components associated with the OI prosthetic care.  All manufacturers’ guidelines must be followed.

Beyond this special consideration, the existing ABC scope of practice guidelines for the provision prosthetic care remain the same.