Healthcare Industry News: PHOENIX
News Release - October 5, 2006
Smith & Nephew's New Self-Locking Anchor Makes Arthroscopic Shoulder Repair Less Complicated, More Consistent
Unique sliding knot encased in the KINSA(TM) Suture Anchor provides clean fixationANDOVER, Mass., Oct. 5 (HSMN NewsFeed) -- Smith & Nephew's (NYSE: SNN ; LSE: SN ) Endoscopy division today announced the release of the KINSA(TM) Suture Anchor, which provides a fast, secure and consistent method of repairing instability of the shoulder.
Shoulder instability results when the ligaments of the shoulder become stretched or, after injury, become pulled away from the bone. As a result, the shoulder can easily slip out of joint. Traditionally, surgeons tighten the ligament using suture that has been anchored to bone in the shoulder capsule.
Smith & Nephew Endoscopy's KINSA Suture Anchor is designed with a self-locking, sliding knot encased inside the anchor. This enables the surgeon to position the anchor in the best possible position without having to worry about where the knots will lie. At times, stacks of knots that secure the repair can create irritation within the joint after surgery, or can loosen, resulting in a release of the tension required for the best possible repair.
"The KINSA anchor represents the next evolutionary step in suture anchor technology," said Dr. Evan Lederman, of The Orthopedic Clinic Association of PHOENIX. "This device will broaden the opportunities for more surgeons to master arthroscopic surgical repairs by eliminating the need for knot tying and allowing fine tuning of the repair after suture anchor placement."
Lederman explained that the KINSA Suture Anchor allows the surgeon to create a more consistent tissue attachment. The fixation can be adjusted simply by pulling the suture, not by sinking the anchor deeper into the bone, as required with competing devices for treating instability.
According to industry statistics, surgeons performed nearly 880,000 arthroscopic shoulder procedures in the United States in 2004. By 2010, that number is expected to increase by 20 percent.
"We believe the KINSA Suture Anchor represents a breakthrough in the treatment of instability repair," said Joseph Darling, vice president, marketing for Smith & Nephew Endoscopy. "This device provides surgeons and their patients a secure repair without the potential irritation of suture knots within the joint. We will be applying this technology to future products and techniques for arthroscopic repair."
About Smith & Nephew:
Smith & Nephew (NYSE: SNN, LSE: SN) (http://www.smith-nephew.com) is a global medical technology business, specializing in Endoscopy, Orthopaedic Reconstruction, Orthopaedic Trauma and Advanced Wound Management products. Smith & Nephew ranks as the global leader in arthroscopy and one of the world's leaders in advanced wound management and is one of the fastest growing orthopaedics companies in the world.
Smith & Nephew is dedicated to helping improve people's lives. The company prides itself on the strength of its relationships with its surgeon and professional healthcare customers, with whom its name is synonymous with the highest standards of performance, innovation and trust. The company has more than 8,500 employees and operates in 33 countries around the world and generated sales of over $2.6 billion.
This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In particular, statements regarding planned growth in our business and in our operating margins discussed under "Outlook" are forward-looking statements as are discussions of our product pipeline. These statements, as well as the phrases "aim", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "well-placed", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "consider" and similar expressions, are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors (including, but not limited to, the outcome of litigation and regulatory approvals) that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Smith & Nephew, or industry results, to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. 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 20F, for a discussion of certain of these factors.
All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Smith & Nephew as of the date hereof. All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to Smith & Nephew or any person acting on behalf of Smith & Nephew are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing. Smith & Nephew does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in Smith & Nephew's expectation with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
Source: Smith & Nephew
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