Two recently introduced products promise to improve the outcomes of arthroscopic knee surgery. Intrafix™ ACL Tibial Fastener and the Absolute Absorbable Interference Screw, two devices used for the arthroscopic reconstruction of the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) of the knee, are being staged for international releases following commencement of US sales in the last part of 1999. Intrafix™ ACL Tibial Fastener and the Absolute Absorbable Interference Screw are made by Innovasive Devices, Inc., a Marlboro, Massachusetts based manufacturer of surgical devices for the sports medicine/arthroscopic surgery markets.
"Clinical testing of the Intrafix™ Fastener indicates that not only will it succeed in the fastest growing soft tissue graft segment of the ACL market, but it will also stimulate the conversion of more surgeons and their patients to this less-invasive technique," said Rick Randall, Innovasive Devices, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer in a recent press release.
None of the 30 patients who have had Intrafix™ implanted to date have demonstrated any evidence of loosening despite aggressive rehabilitation, according to Dr. Joseph Sklar, a collaborator on the product’s development.
The Absolute Absorbable Interference Screw is used for the fixation of all ACL grafts, both femoral and tibial.
Randall added: “"On the other hand, the addition of the Absolute Absorbable Interference Screw rounds out our product line to be the most comprehensive ACL product offering in the industry. We are now better prepared to compete for all of the ACL business within any given operating room setting."
Innovasive Devices, Inc. is a leading provider of proprietary tissue repair systems for use in the sports medicine/arthroscopy segment of the orthopedic market. The Company currently markets a broad-based product line within five product platforms: suture fasteners, suturing systems, cartilage repair products, ACL reconstruction systems and meniscal repair products.
