Healthcare Industry News:  Total Hip 

Devices Orthopaedic

 News Release - September 17, 2007

Smith & Nephew Endoscopy's New Lateral Hip Distractor Provides Optimal Patient Positioning for Arthroscopic Hip Repair

ANDOVER, Mass., Sept. 17 (HSMN NewsFeed) -- Smith & Nephew's (NYSE: SNN ; LSE:SN ) Endoscopy Division today announced the launch of its Lateral Hip Positioning System, which enables clinicians to easily test the range of motion of a patient's hip during arthroscopic repair of the pelvic joint.


Smith & Nephew Endoscopy's Lateral Hip Positioning System is designed to position the patient on his or her side. In this position, the force of gravity pulls the surrounding tissue away from the hip joint and enables the surgeon to more easily access the deep recesses of the pelvis.

The universal distractor leg, designed to gently separate the ball of the femur, or thigh bone, from the socket of the hip joint, creates space in which a surgeon can insert specialized arthroscopy instruments to repair injuries caused by overuse or trauma.

"The device's universal distractor leg allows me to easily move the hip joint during surgery, and helps me determine the extent of the pathology and the effectiveness of the repair," said Dr. Thomas Sampson, medical director of the Total Joint Center at Saint Francis Hospital in San Francisco, Calif. "The range of motion test is particularly important during procedures to treat Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), which surgeons worldwide are performing more frequently to alleviate hip pain."

FAI results from friction between the ball of the femur and the socket in the pelvis. Without treatment, FAI could lead to arthritis, and possibly a Total Hip replacement. The number of FAI procedures will double between 2004 and 2010, according to market research.

The same universal distractor leg can be used with Smith & Nephew's Supine Hip Positioning System, which is used with the patient positioned on his or her back.

Smith & Nephew's Hip Positioning offerings provide an alternative for medical facilities whose surgeons use fracture tables - the type used in hip replacement surgery - during arthroscopic procedures. Fracture tables are large and expensive, and aren't suited to the necessary range-of-motion testing preferred during arthroscopies.

The lateral and supine hip positioners attach to most surgical tables, are easy to assemble and can be a cost-effective option for orthopedic practices and ambulatory surgery centers that perform multiple procedures each day.

"Smith & Nephew's Lateral Hip Positioning System is less complicated to assemble and maneuver," said Mr. Richard Villar, of Wellington Hospital in London, UK, and a pioneer in hip arthroscopy. "Its simplicity enables us to undertake more clinical work in a day, because we spend less time in procedures adjusting the patients' position to permit a thorough examination and successful repair."

The Lateral Hip Positioning System is an important addition to Smith & Nephew's growing hip arthroscopy product line, said Joseph Darling, senior vice president and general manager of Smith & Nephew Endoscopy's Arthroscopic Repair business unit. "As more surgeons are trained to perform hip arthroscopy, it's critical that they have access to a complete line of specialized hip repair devices and positioners."

About Smith & Nephew

Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business, specializing in Orthopaedic Reconstruction, Orthopaedic Trauma and Clinical Therapies, Endoscopy and Advanced Wound Management products. Smith & Nephew is a global leader in arthroscopy and advanced wound management and is one of the leading global orthopaedics companies. Smith & Nephew is dedicated to helping improve people's lives. The Company prides itself on the strength of its relationships with its surgeons and professional healthcare customers, with whom its name is synonymous with high standards of performance, innovation and trust. The Company has 9,600 employees and operates in 31 countries around the world. Annual sales in 2006 were nearly $2.8 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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