Ortotec Finland, formerly known as Jyväskylän Ortotekniikka Oy was founded now 20 years ago. The sole purpose of the business has been to produce and sell GetMet, which is a metal detector designed for detecting metal parts in tissue. GetMet Mark I was developed now 20 years ago and the company was able to sell over 50 devices to Finnish hospitals. At this point, international sales were not an option due to restrictions within the corporation.
GetMet was created to detect metal pieces in the human body, such as screws, bolts, and metal plates, which are commonly used to treat fractures. Often as the bone heals following surgery, the used metal parts would be removed, sometimes years after the operation. The human body forms strong scar tissue around metal, making it difficult to detect metal pieces after months or years. Read More
The fundamental technique for identifying such metal pieces is still x-ray, which is time-consuming, slow, and complicated, and necessitates the involvement of additional medical personnel. The search procedure is frequently performed over a large region, which can cause further trauma as metal components are removed.
The original GetMet Mark I was successful, but not to the level that Leo Osterback desired. The original iteration, for example, had trouble detecting small metal spikes with a diameter of 1,0–1,4 mm from further away from the surface.
With the success of GetMet Mark I, we began a collaboration with the University of Jyväskylä in 2017 to develop a new, improved device. Under the guidance of Professor Markku Kataja, we have completed two scientific reports, from the foundations to the development of a second, far superior model. Pietari Puranen’s post-graduation research study (BFO-metallinpaljastimen kehittäminen kudoksen sisäisten kohteiden havaitsemiseen. Jyväskylän yliopisto. Fysiikan laitos) was particularly remarkable.
Ortotec Finland chose to press forward with the manufacturing of GetMet Mark II based on the lessons learned from GetMet Mark I amongst further research. GetMet Mark II now represents a leading innovation and product of its kind. The new GetMet Mark II device is meant for a wider range of use cases, such as veterinary and military/other crisis zone usage.
Leo Osterback
Dr. Med, Orthopaedic Surgeon, PhD Sports Medicine
Innovator & Owner of GetMet
