The company Brånemark Integration still works with dental implants and the original screw that was developed by Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark. (Yes, they are father and son.) Integrum takes it to another level, using the technology to anchor arm and leg prostheses in a similar manner.

Better quality of life for amputees
Each year, hundreds of thousands of people the world over lose an arm or a leg. The most common cause for this being land mines, but also including victims of war, people who have been involved in automobile or motorcycle accidents, or who have suffered from tumours.

Since 1990, nearly 120 amputees have been treated using Integrum´s method. As opposed to conventional prostheses with a socket that the patient slides onto the amputated limb, a newly written thesis at Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg shows that bone-anchored prosthesis offer considerably better quality of life. The patients can essentially live a completely normal life — and even climb mountains.

Integrum is based on activities performed since 1990. The company has been in existence since 1998. Rickard Brånemark has 16 years of experience and follow-up of the method. In addition to Sweden, patients are treated with this method in Australia, Spain, Great Britain, and Hungary. Both France and the United States have shown great interest in the method.

Quality and patient security above all
Integrum was first with bone-anchored prostheses, but is no longer the only company working with this method.

“We are not alone, but our experience places us ahead of the others. We have treated over 100 patients more than the other players."

An issue close to his heart is quality and safety:

“Advanced production in medical technology takes a long time to develop, and it must be quality-assured in a scientifically accepted manner. If I had been less scientific, the company could probably have done more. This has clearly prolonged time to market."

 
Annika Risberg

... commercialisation — a foul word?
Perhaps in many contexts, and quite a bad word at that. Of course there can be ethical and moral dilemmas, but we must dare to discuss them. This is an area where we can go further. The novel methods or products will not reach the large groups of patients without commercialisation. It must be ok for professionals to move between clinics, research, and commercial activities without being considered persona non grata. This is essential, because otherwise we will simply get inferior health care.

 
... the driving force
My friends often say, ‘Never tell Rickard that he won´t make it, because that only triggers him.´ For me, the positive relations that I get with patients are naturally enormously important. Many of them say that the new prostheses represent a greater change and mean more than the amputation itself. We know that the technology will only get better, and we want it to be spread and recognised. And we want to get recognised. In the long term, this may also enable us to make some money, and then we will be better able to take care of our families. But probably the most important thing is that I feel that I´m doing something meaningful with my life. This is what keeps me going.

 
... his vision
I would like to establish a treatment for amputations that is a viable alternative to the established one, and which in the long term becomes the alternative of choice for younger people, and to spread it globally.

 
... running a company
Everyone who runs their own company should have a coach. The world of sports has understood the importance of having someone close at hand whose task is to create positive energy and to keep people in trim. Most people can accomplish much more than they think with the help of positive energy and in an appealing environment. Just look at the Greek football team, who to everyone´s surprise won the European championship recently. Small companies can also accomplish big things.