Smith & Nephew introduces pioneering new fixation devices and techniques for hip arthroscopy at ISHA meeting

LONDON, Sept. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Smith & Nephew (LSE:SNNYSE:SNN), the global medical technology business, today announces that it has received FDA clearance to expand the indications within the hip for its innovative HEALICOIL™ PK Suture Anchor and OSTEORAPTOR™ Suture Anchor. Indications for the HEALICOIL PK Suture Anchor have been expanded to include abductor repair while those for the OSTEORAPTOR™ Suture Anchor now include labral reconstruction. Both products and new techniques will be showcased at this week's ISHA (International Society for Hip Arthroscopy) Annual meeting in Boston (September 28-29.)

"Hip arthroscopy is not only one of the newest and most exciting frontiers in sports medicine, it's an area we've proudly helped to pioneer," says Alain Tranchemontagne, Senior Vice President within Smith & Nephew's Advanced Surgical Devices Division. "By bringing first-to-market devices such as the HEALICOIL PK Suture Anchor and the OSTEORAPTOR Suture Anchor to these emerging techniques, we further strengthen our position as the innovation leaders in hip arthroscopy."

Surgeons visiting Smith & Nephew's booth (#13-17) at the ISHA show will be able to examine these products and learn more about these exciting opportunities for improved patient treatment. In particular, arthroscopic abductor repair using the HEALICOIL PK Suture Anchor will be showcased during a Lunchtime Demonstration on Friday, September 28, and labral reconstruction using the OSTEORAPTOR™ Suture Anchor will be showcased during a Lunchtime Demonstration on Saturday, September 29.

HEALICOIL™ PK Suture Anchor
"HEALICOIL PK is a truly unique suture anchor and is ideal for abductor repair," explains Dr. J.W. Thomas Byrd of Nashville TN. "Besides being easily inserted into both hard and osteoporotic bone, it leaves behind a minimal amount of material. Smith & Nephew has always supported emerging techniques for hip arthroscopy and this is yet another example of why I consider them to be the leaders in this space."

Often referred to as the "rotator cuff of the hip," tears of the hip abductor tendon are a common cause of lateral hip pain. In fact, estimates show that nearly 25% of middle-aged women and 10% of middle-aged men will develop a tear of the gluteus medius tendon.¹ The HEALICOIL PK Suture Anchor was launched earlier this year for use in shoulder repair. It features a unique open-architecture design that uses less material than traditional, solid-core anchors while still providing significantly more thread engagement and greater pullout strength than its competitors.²

Also cleared for use by the FDA for abductor repair are the TWINFIX™ Ultra and FOOTPRINT™ Ultra Suture Anchors; giving Smith & Nephew a full range of anchor constructs, materials, sizes and suture configurations for either double or single row fixation techniques.

OSTEORAPTOR™ Suture Anchor
With the OSTEORAPTOR Suture Anchor, surgeons now have a FDA-cleared device and technique for reconstructing a torn or detached labrum. Labral tears in the hip, often associated with a traumatic injury like dislocation, can be a source of chronic hip pain and may even contribute to the development of osteoarthritis.

In standard labral repair, the labrum, a fibrous cartilage ring that rims the hip socket, is reattached to the bony socket of the joint using small anchors and sutures. In cases when the labrum is too degenerated to be repaired, leading hip surgeon, Dr. Marc J Philippon of the Steadman Philippon Research Institute, has pioneered a procedure to reconstruct the soft tissue  using the naturally bioabsorbable OSTEORAPTOR Suture Anchor.

"The OSTEORAPTOR has always been my gold standard for hip labral repairs, and now I trust it to deliver the same reliable fixation when doing a reconstruction procedure," explains Dr. Philippon.

With its combination small size (2.3 mm) and reliable and strong fixation, The OSTEORAPTOR Suture Anchor allows surgeons to use multiple anchors in a small joint space for a precise and secure repair.  These naturally biocompatible suture anchors are made of hydroxyapapatite (HA), a calcium phosphate similar to the mineral found in bone. Also cleared by the FDA for this procedure are the BIORAPTOR Suture Anchor and BIORAPTOR Knotless Suture Anchor.

About Smith & Nephew

Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business dedicated to helping improve people's lives.  With leadership positions in Orthopaedic Reconstruction, Advanced Wound Management, Sports Medicine and Trauma, Smith & Nephew has almost 11,000 employees and a presence in more than 90 countries. Annual sales in 2011 were nearly $4.3 billion.  Smith & Nephew is a member of the FTSE100 (LSE: SN, NYSE: SNN).

Forward-looking Statements

This document may contain forward-looking statements that may or may not prove accurate. For example, statements regarding expected revenue growth and trading margins, market trends and our product pipeline are forward-looking statements. Phrases such as "aim", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "well-placed", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "consider" and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from what is expressed or implied by the statements. For Smith & Nephew, these factors include: economic and financial conditions in the markets we serve, especially those affecting health care providers, payors and customers; price levels for established and innovative medical devices; developments in medical technology; regulatory approvals, reimbursement decisions or other government actions; product defects or recalls; litigation relating to patent or other claims; legal compliance risks and related investigative, remedial or enforcement actions; strategic actions, including acquisitions and dispositions, our success in integrating acquired businesses, and disruption that may result from changes we make in our business plans or organisation to adapt to market developments; and numerous other matters that affect us or our markets, including those of a political, economic, business or competitive nature. Please refer to the documents that Smith & Nephew has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including Smith & Nephew's most recent annual report on Form 20-F, for a discussion of certain of these factors.

Any forward-looking statement is based on information available to Smith & Nephew as of the date of the statement. All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to Smith & Nephew are qualified by this caution. Smith & Nephew does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in circumstances or in Smith & Nephew's expectations.

* Trademark of Smith & Nephew.  Registered US Patent and Trademark Office.

¹ Bedi, A., MD, & Kelly, B., MD (2010). Abductor Repairs. In M. Philippon & B. Kelly (Eds.), Arthroscopic Techniques of the Hip : A Visual Guide. (pp. 109-129). From Andrews, J., MD & David, T., MD (Eds.), A Visual Arthroscopy Series. Thorofare, NJ: SLACK Incorporated.

² ITR-4700: HEALICOIL Suture Anchor competitive testing. Data on file September 2011.

SOURCE Smith & Nephew

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