MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Cypress Adaptive
By DEBORAH CONN
Creating Comfortable Sockets Chicago company distributes system that recreates loading forces on the residual limb
C
YPRESS ADAPTIVE’S flagship
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MAY 2021 | O&P ALMANAC
Owners Laszlo Dallos, Lynn Snyder, PT, and Matt Doering
COMPANY: Cypress Adaptive OWNERS: Matt Doering, Lynn Snyder, PT, and Laszlo Dallos LOCATION: Chicago HISTORY: Six years
The new Symphonie Aqua Compact System
Some of the company’s recent developments include the introduction of a new transfemoral version of the Aqua System as well as a more portable unit for transtibial and through-knee amputations. The portable system is useful for facilities that want to share the system across several offices or satellites, because it doesn’t require a hookup to air and water sources. The standard system, which is designed to be fixed in place, is more modular, allowing users to add features as needed. Several small research studies have focused on the Aqua System, and a three-year, multisite study by the U.S. Department of Defense is about midway through completion. A committee of practitioners and Cypress Adaptive representatives is investigating whether the system merits a specific L code for reimbursement. In addition to the Aqua System, Cypress Adaptive works with independent inventors to develop other prosthetic products, including expulsion valves, suspension
sleeves, elevated vacuum systems, and prosthetic knees. The founder of Romedis, Andreas Radspieler, developed a new suspension sleeve that, unlike traditional sleeves, eliminates pressure across the patella and behind the knee. “It is a completely different concept, and you have to see it to understand it,” Doering says. “Radspieler, who has been the German equivalent of a CPO for 25 years, is the Elon Musk of prosthetics.” Doering expects the new sleeve to be available soon. Like most companies, Cypress Adaptive faced an uncertain future during the pandemic, with a precipitous drop in sales during the first two quarters of 2020. “Fortunately, we were already a pretty lean company, so we just had to watch expenses and readjust our marketing dollars,” recalls Doering. The company began to recover in the third quarter and continues to rebound. As travel halted last year, the company added instructional videos to its website and plans to expand virtual training even when on-site visits are possible again. Doering says the company will continue to refine its products and seek innovations over the next several years. “Our goal is to create tools that make it easier for the practitioner and the user,” he says. “We feel fortunate to be part of this industry. It’s incredibly rewarding, even with changes in the past few years. We love the fact that we are a part of it.” Deborah Conn is a contributing writer to O&P Almanac. Reach her at deborahconn@verizon.net.
PHOTOS: Cypress Adaptive
product is the Symphonie Aqua System, a method of casting amputees developed by the German firm Romedis GMBH. As the company’s exclusive North American partner, Cypress Adaptive markets and distributes the system, which recreates loading forces on the residual limb that match those under actual full weight-bearing conditions. “Historically, prosthetists take an impression while the patient is in a seated position, which can’t mimic the anatomical needs or wants under full load,” explains Matt Doering, co-owner and head of sales, marketing, and education. “Most socket issues occur in a weightbearing position, so doing the hydrostatic full-weight capture allows the prosthetist to create more comfortable sockets, and that leads to great compliance.” Another benefit, he notes, is the consistency the Aqua System brings to regional or national providers. “Even a skilled clinician who casts a patient multiple times won’t get identical results,” says Doering. “This system enables every office to create the same outcome, regardless of its location or the prosthetist’s experience.” In addition to Doering, Adaptive is co-owned by Lynn Snyder, PT, who handles dayto-day operations and customer service, and Lazlo Dallos, head of product development. Snyder works from her home base in New Jersey, while Dallos is based in Boston. The company manufactures expulsion valves in Chicago, where Doering operates.
