Columbus-based OhioHealth orthopedic surgeon Stephen Berling, MD, in May became the first surgeon in Ohio to implant the Touch CMC 1 prosthesis.
The thumb implant had been used more than 130,000 times in Europe before receiving FDA approval in 2025. Dr. Berling was among a group of surgeons trained to perform the procedure, according to a Sept. 25 news release.
The outpatient surgery takes about 45 minutes. Patients who receive the Touch prosthesis leave the operating room with only a bandage, while patients undergoing traditional thumb arthritis surgery wear a splint or cast for six weeks, the release said.
Joseph Gil, MD, performed the procedure at Rhode Island Hospital, part of Providence, R.I.-based Brown University Health, in August.
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