MEDICAL DEVICE INNOVATION - Medical Device Daily

MEDICAL DEVICE INNOVATION 2010
New orthopedic device
designed to be ‘steerable’
A Medical Device Daily Staff Report
“Steerable” is a word several companies across the
medical device industry use to describe their products.
There are steerable guidewires, steerable catheters, and
even a steerable pill camera designed as a diagnostic tool
for the colon that uses a hand-held magnet as a control system
(Medical Device Daily, June 25, 2008).
Now the word steerable is being applied to technology
used in arthroscopic procedures. OrthoDynamix
(Jacksonville, Florida) this week introduced a new steerable
device platform designed to address joint pain issues from
sports injuries, genetic damage and pre-arthritis.
According to the company, ArthroSteer “significantly
improves access in hip and other arthroscopic procedures.”
Arthroscopic procedures allow orthopedic surgeons to
visualize, diagnose, and treat problems inside a joint. While
it is a surgical procedure, it requires only small incisions
therefore patients tend to recover more quickly and with
less post-operative pain than with open surgery, according
to the Arthroscopy Association of North America
(Rosemary, Illinois).
The ArthroSteer platform of disposable instrumentation
includes four products that OrthoDynamix says allow
surgeons to facilitate arthroscopy with a mulit-control
device, and steer and reach around joint capsule structures
while interacting with tissue that affords not just diagnosis
but repair.
“This is the first steerable device designed specifically
for arthroscopy that can withstand the rigors of orthopedic
surgery and that can deliver enabling technology for the
repair of joint capsules,” said CEO Bill Dennis. “Since these
devices greatly improve the access to joint capsules,
specifically the hip, more surgeons will offer hip
arthroscopy as an alternative for pre-arthritic injuries and
congenital abnormalities.”
While there are more than 1.5 million arthroscopic knee
and shoulder procedures in the U.S. every year, according
to OrthoDynamix, hip arthroscopy is very new, the company
said. “This is a very exciting time since hip arthroscopy
is helping people with hip pain stay active longer.
Moreover, professional athletes can now even extend their
careers. If surgery is done early enough, it can possibly prevent
cartilage damage and arthritis,” Dennis said.
According to OrthoDyanamix, surgeons are able to
manipulate ArthroSteer instruments by three specific controls
on the handle. While the jaw opens and closes, much
like conventional surgical instruments, the flexible spine
bends 180 degrees and the jaw rotates 360 degrees “like no
other available instrument,” the company said.
OrthoDynamix said that it intends to bring its technology
platform to spine, general, OB, CV and thoracic surgery.
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OrthoDynamix is a portfolio company of Gyrx
(Jacksonville, Florida), a medical device business accelerator.
It was established in 2007 to develop disposable steerable
surgical instrumentation for arthroscopy. The company
is a collaboration of the conveyed attributes of two medical
device companies – Gyrx and Medicept (Ashland,
Massachusetts). The combination will deliver multiple
product offerings developed on one technology platform,
Gyrx said. Initial products include steerable 5 mm grasper,
punch and 3 mm RF hand instruments.
According to the company, hip arthroscopy has not
flourished due to the lack of effective instrumentation and
corresponding surgeon training. OrthoDynamix said its
ArthroSteer platform has been developed to compete in the
$8 billion worldwide joint implant market. The arthroscopic
device market is dominated by six large companies –
Arthrex (Naples, Florida), Smith & Nephew (London),
ConMed (Utica, New York), DePuy Mitek (Raynham,
Massachusetts), Stryker (Kalamazoo, Michigan), and
Arthrocare (Austin, Texas).
(This story originally appeared in the July 30, 2009,
edition of Medical Device Daily).
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