Surgeons Perform Canada’s First Above-Elbow Osseointegration and Bionic Limb

In a major medical milestone for Canadian reconstructive medicine, a surgical team including  Dr. Robert Stiegelmar, Dr. Hollie Power, and Dr. Adil Ladak has successfully performed the country’s first transhumeral (above-elbow) osseointegration surgery and bone-anchored prosthesis fitting.

The groundbreaking procedure, carried out at the University of Alberta Hospital (UAH), directly implants a custom titanium rod into the patient's remaining humerus bone. Unlike traditional limb replacements that rely on restrictive, uncomfortable sockets and harness systems, this innovative approach allows a bionic limb to clip directly onto the anchored implant via a quick-disconnect mechanism—offering dramatically improved range of motion, comfort, and direct skeletal feedback.

Dr. Stiegelmar (Orthopedic Surgery), alongside Dr. Power and Dr. Ladak (Plastic Surgery), performed the surgical procedure with support from a United States Department of Defense grant held by Principal Investigator Dr. Jacqueline S. Hebert. Dr. Hebert, a professor in the Department of Medicine (Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) at the University of Alberta, leads the Bionic Limbs for Improved Natural Control (BLINC) Lab.

The initiative highlights the strength of cross-institutional collaboration, bridging surgical excellence with a multidisciplinary research network spanning engineering, psychology, kinesiology, and rehabilitation medicine across the University of Alberta, UAH, and the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital.

Post-surgery, the patient has been undergoing specialized rehabilitation and functional training at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital. Under the care of occupational therapist Glyn Murgatroyd and prosthetists Mike Stobbe and Petra Hossein, the patient is learning to use targeted muscle signals to operate an advanced myoelectric prosthetic limb.

Simultaneously, researchers at the BLINC Lab are using virtual reality platforms to train the patient, fine-tune control over the advanced prosthesis, and measure both quantitative and qualitative outcomes to evaluate how this life-changing intervention improves overall quality of life.

This first-in-Canada achievement underscores the transformative advances made possible when surgical innovation, advanced engineering, and comprehensive rehabilitation converge.