Created in 2015 in Marseille, with a production site in Normandy, Pytheas Navigation develops, manufactures and deploys medical devices to assist in spinal surgery.
If computer-assisted surgery devices offer to accompany the practitioner's actions, they prove difficult to implement, bulky, expensive, and they expose the patient to harmful ionizing rays.
This is where Yann Glard, orthopedic surgeon, invents a revolutionary solution to democratize computer-assisted surgery, for the placement of implants in the spine. Beforehand, the surgeon plans the operation on a model of his patient's spine and defines on a digital model the path to adopt to place the implants. Then, his surgical tool, the handle of which is equipped with a miniaturized inertial sensor, indicates to him on a screen whether his gesture corresponds to the predefined path. The PYTHEAS ODYSSEY product was born. The solution reduces the risk of complications for the patient, fits in the surgeon's hand, and reduces exposure to ionizing radiation. The device is also very economical: for the healthcare establishment, the investment is very significantly lower than that for a traditional navigation solution or surgical robot.
Its product: PYTHEAS ODYSSEY is a complete system, including:
- Path planning and guidance software,
- A touchpad,
- Orientation sensors and computer accessories,
- And a dedicated ancillary.
PYTHEAS ODYSSEY is a CE marked class IIb medical device. The invention is protected by 4 families of international patents. The quality management system is ISO 13485 certified.
The company has 10 employees.
Historical
- 2015 – Creation of PYTHEAS NAVIGATION, founded by Dr GLARD and Marc FORMAN.
- 2016 – Prize for innovation in orthopedic surgery from the Academy of Surgery, awarded to Dr GLARD for his invention.
- 2017 – PYTHEAS NAVIGATION wins the global innovation competition of the Public Investment Bank (BPI). This step launches the industrial development of the solution.
- End of 2022 – First surgeries carried out at Nîmes University Hospital and at St Joseph Hospital in Marseille as part of the CE pre-marking clinical study.
- End of 2023 – the PYTHEAS ODYSSEY device obtains CE marking.
- January 2024 – first surgeries at St Joseph Hospital in Marseille.