ChoiceSpine™ Successfully Completed 1,000th TOMCAT™ ACDF Procedure

Posted On August 23, 2017 By OrthoSpineNews In Spine, Top Stories /

KNOXVILLE, TN (PRWEB) AUGUST 23, 2017

ChoiceSpine LP, a privately-held spinal device manufacturer based in Knoxville, TN, successfully completed its 1,000th TOMCAT Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) procedure. The procedure was performed by Julian Price, MD of Athens Orthopedic Clinic, Athens, GA at St. Mary’s Hospital, also in Athens, on August 14, 2017.

“I choose to use TOMCAT for all my ACDF procedures as it provides streamlined implantation with modular instruments, self-locking retention clip and a hybrid device that eliminates difficult screw trajectories.” stated Dr. Price. “My clinical outcomes with TOMCAT are excellent as I have experienced early bone growth with the Hydroxyapatite (HA) Enhanced integrated PEEK™ spacer.”

The TOMCAT Cervical Spinal System was designed to stabilize and fuse the cervical vertebral column with no profile or low profile anteriorly. TOMCAT is available in two configurations, Zero Profile and Hybrid, both with 4° and 8° lordosis. The Zero Profile, Stand Alone TOMCAT sits within the vertebral body leaving the anterior cervical spine unchanged, which may reduce post–operative complications for good healing. The Hybrid, Stand Alone TOMCAT provides an adaptable surgical solution when previous adjacent level treatment is present. Both devices provide an optimized fusion environment with large, center chambers for bone graft and HA-enhanced PEEK that provides early bone apposition.

“This is an important milestone for TOMCAT and ChoiceSpine. The 1,000th completed TOMCAT procedure continues our successful track record of delivering products that produce quality outcomes in spine surgery,” said Rick Henson and Marty Altshuler, co-founders of ChoiceSpine. “TOMCAT’s flexible design allows it to adapt to complex cervical anatomy providing spine surgeons with one solution to address multiple surgical challenges during ACDF procedures.”

About ChoiceSpine
ChoiceSpine is a privately-held spinal device company located in Knoxville, TN. The Company prides itself on providing excellent products and exceptional service to meet the needs of their customers. ChoiceSpine offers a breadth of innovative and surgeon-focused systems that are designed to be safe, efficient and easy-to-use. By working closely with physicians and maintaining a service-focused distribution, ChoiceSpine will continue to bring technically-superior spinal products to market.

Contact:
KC Gilbert
Vice President Marketing & Professional Education
865-246-3333
kgilbert(at)choicespine(dot)com
choicespine.com

CoreLink’s Stackable Guide Wire Reduces Potential Risk of SI Joint Fusion

Posted On August 22, 2017 By OrthoSpineNews In Spine, Top Stories /

August 22, 2017

ST. LOUIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–CoreLink, LLC, a fast growing designer and manufacturer of spinal implant systems, announced the release of the Scaltoff™ Wire, a patent pending, stackable guide wire for its Entasis® Sacroiliac Joint Fusion System. The convertible length wire enables constant control during drilling, tapping, and insertion steps yet can be quickly shortened to accommodate the C-arm in lateral view x-rays.

“The most significant threat to patient safety in lateral SI joint fusion procedures is the possibility of the guide wire advancing into the sacral foramina and potentially damaging a nerve root,” says Dr. Donald Sachs (Neurosurgeon, Tampa, FL), “This is a good response to that common risk. Plus, with this, you don’t have to remove the wire, avoiding the frustrations of finding your path again.”

The stackable Scaltoff Wires (blunt and trocar) thread onto and off each other, end-to-end, providing adjustable length. Considered to be the stiffest on the market, the extra rigidity of these stainless steel wires further enhances control for the surgeon.

Now a little more than a year on the market, CoreLink’s Entasis© SI Joint Fusion System has seen more than 500 devices implanted. Surgeons most often cite the device’s Easy-In™ dual-pitch compression threading and the autograft self-harvesting circumferential fenestrations as the most compelling features in their choice of this device. CoreLink expects the addition of the stackable Scaltoff Wire to further accelerate the adoption of this implant system.

For more information or distribution opportunities concerning the Entasis® SI Joint Fusion System, or any of CoreLink’s other spinal implant products, please, visit www.corelinksurgical.com.

About CoreLink

CoreLink, LLC internally designs and manufactures more than 99% of its broad portfolio of spinal implant systems. CoreLink leverages this expertise through collaboration and a dedication to empowering surgeons with the highest quality and most effective instruments and implants possible. That is how CoreLink came to be known as The Source.

Be a part of something. Come to The Source.

Indications for Use

The Entasis Dual-Lead Sacroiliac implant system is intended for sacroiliac joint fusions for conditions including degenerative sacroiliitis and sacroiliac joint disruptions.

Contacts

CoreLink, LLC
Matthew Linhardt, 888-349-7808
Senior Director, Marketing
m.linhardt@corelinksurgical.com

BMC becomes first in state to add robotic spine surgery

Posted On August 22, 2017 By OrthoSpineNews In Robotics, Spine, Top Stories /

August 22, 2017 – JIM MCCONVILLE, Staff Writer, (Journal Photo by Ron Agnir)

MARTINSBURG — WVU Medicine Berkeley Medical Center added its first robot-neurosurgeon to its medical staff on Monday.

On Monday, BMC became the first medical center in West Virginia and the tri-state region to add the Mazor X, a robotic surgical platform, which will be used by its new Medicine Brain and Spine Center.

BMC is the first medical center in West Virginia and within a 60-mile radius from the center to employ the surgical robot technology.

Delivered to BMC on Aug. 17, the Mazor robot performed its first patient surgery Monday afternoon.

“As spinal surgery has evolved, more focus has been placed on minimizing trauma to the body during surgery and expediting a return to function through the use of minimally invasive techniques,” said Dr. John Caruso, neurosurgeon and medical director of WVU Medicine Brain and Spine at Berkeley Medical Center.

Using the the Mazor robot software, doctors can plan a spine operation procedure. During the actual surgical procedure, doctors use the precision mechanics and surgical arm to guide surgical tools and implants at the right trajectory and position, based on that surgical plan.

For patients, minimally invasive surgical procedure means less pain, less blood loss, a smaller surgical cut, a shorter hospital stay, and a shorter recovery period compared to conventional spine surgery.

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Opioid makers made payments to one in 12 U.S. doctors

Posted On August 22, 2017 By OrthoSpineNews In Regulatory, Top Stories /

August 9, 2017 – Media contact: David Orenstein

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Legally prescribed opioids can be an effective treatment for pain, but they are also the root cause of many of the cases of addiction and overdose deaths that have reached epidemic levels in the U.S. That’s why experts such as Brandon Marshall, an associate professor of epidemiology in the Brown University School of Public Health, are investigating efforts by opioid painkiller manufacturers to promote prescribing of the medicines by wining and dining doctors and paying them large speaking fees.

In a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health, Marshall, lead author Scott Hadland of Boston Medical Center and colleagues report for the first time on the tens of millions of dollars that drug companies are paying doctors through meals, honoraria and other marketing and education programs.

“The opioid epidemic, which is responsible for thousands of deaths every year, is a national tragedy that we must work at every level to combat,” Marshall said in a Boston Medical Center news story detailing the findings. “It’s our hope that this study sparks a bigger conversation about the role of pharmaceutical companies in the over-prescribing of opioid medications and prompts a more thorough investigation about what we need to do to tackle this problem.”

We asked Marshall to share additional thoughts on what the team found and what it may mean.

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Medovex Corporation Appoints Gorlin Companies Managing Partner Jesse Crowne Director and Executive Co-Chairman of the Board

Posted On August 21, 2017 By OrthoSpineNews In Spine, Top Stories /

ATLANTA, GA — (Marketwired) — 08/21/17 — Medovex Corp. (NASDAQ: MDVX) (“Medovex” or the “Company“), the developer of the DenerveX™ System, a new and novel device designed for enduring relief of Facet Joint Syndrome related to back pain, today announced it has appointed Jesse Crowne as Director and Executive Co-Chairman of the Board.

Jesse Crowne has been acting as a Vice President of Business Development for the Company since January 2015. Mr. Crowne has been a Managing Partner at Gorlin Companies; a healthcare focused single family office specializing in founding and funding early ventures since July 2015. Crowne replaces Steve Gorlin who will remain with the Company in a consultancy role.

Between August 2015 and January 2017, Mr. Crowne was the President of Vavotar Life Sciences, a private clinical stage biotechnology company developing antibody directed oncology products. Since 2016, Mr. Crowne has served as an Adjunct Professor at Westminster College teaching a course on financing new ventures to MBA students. From October 2013 to March 2014, he was the Co-Founder of Virtual Clinic Trials, LLC, a cloud based document management solution for clinical trials until it was sold to Global Deal Market in 2014. From 2010 to June 2014, he was an associate at White Pine Medical, a subsidiary of Essex Woodlands, which was a private equity investment fund seeking late stage medical device opportunities.

Steve Gorlin, Medovex Co-founder, stated, “I’m pleased to have accomplished my initial goal of seeing Medovex successfully progress from the development stage to the commercialization phase. I’m also extremely proud of our entire management team and their collective effort in getting us to the opportunistic place we find ourselves today. At no point in the Company’s history have I ever been more confident in its future. Over the years, I’ve been intimately involved in many small healthcare related companies which eventually went on to experience sizeable value creation, but few were as personal as Medovex. My continuing commitment to the company can be no better evidenced than by my Form 4 filing made Wednesday memorializing my open market purchase of an additional 200,000 shares of our stock.”

Gorlin continued, “I’ve worked closely with Jesse Crowne at my own company for some time now and I handpicked him based on a steadfast confidence in his ability to finish what we’ve started. I view him as the ideal person to assist in taking Medovex to the next level and I look forward to continuing to work closely with him, the board and management as we together seek to accomplish my ultimate goal of maximizing shareholder value.”

The Company’s DenerveX System recently received CE Mark approval and clearance for commercialization in the European countries and offers a unique way to perform a Facet Joint Syndrome treatment.

Facet Joint Syndrome (FJS), also known as spinal osteoarthritis, spinal arthritis, or facet joint osteoarthritis, is a significant health and economic problem in the United States and other countries in the EU and Rest of World affecting millions each year. Current treatment options are generally temporary and there is no proven long-lasting option for FJS.

The DenerveX System is a highly differentiated technology. It denervates and removes capsular tissue from the Facet Joint in one single procedure. Treatment results from the combined effect of a deburring or polishing action and RF ablation treatment on the Facet Joint. Using this new technique, the slowly rotating burr removes the targeted facet joint synovial membrane and joint surface while the heat ablation destroys tissue and denudes any residual nervous and synovial membrane overlying the joint, removing the end point sensory tissue of the joint.

The DenerveX System consists of the DenerveX Kit which contains the DenerveX Device, a single use medical device and the DenerveX Pro-40 Power Generator. DenerveX system is not yet FDA cleared.

About Medovex
Medovex was formed to acquire and develop a diversified portfolio of potentially ground breaking medical technology products. Criteria for selection include those products with potential for significant improvement in the quality of patient care combined with cost effectiveness. The Company’s first pipeline product, the DenerveX device, is intended to provide long lasting relief from pain associated with facet joint syndrome at significantly less cost than currently available options. To learn more about Medovex Corp., visit www.medovex.com

Safe Harbor Statement
Certain statements in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “continue,” “predict,” “forecast,” “project,” “plan,” “intend” or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), not limited to Risk Factors relating to its patent business contained therein. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Medovex Corp.
Jason Assad
470-505-9905
Email Contact

Exactech’s Truliant® Knee System Instrumentation Honored with International Design Excellence Award (IDEA®)

Posted On August 21, 2017 By OrthoSpineNews In Recon, Top Stories /

August 21, 2017

GAINESVILLE, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Exactech (Nasdaq:EXAC), a developer and producer of bone and joint restoration products and biologic solutions for extremities, knee and hip, announced today that the new Truliant® Knee System’s surgical instrumentation received a bronze award in the 2017 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA®). Sponsored annually by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), the 2017 winners were recognized on Aug. 19 in Atlanta, Ga.

Exactech’s Truliant Knee System offers a comprehensive portfolio of implants and instrumentation to help surgeons address the remaining clinical challenges of total knee replacement. The goal of the ergonomic instrumentation design is to help surgeons make accurate and consistent bone cuts and adjustments to the joint during total knee arthroplasty. The designs embody Exactech’s brand strategy and offer surgeons a reproducible and efficient experience through:

Texturing and blue accents which indicate touch points for adjustability and functionality,
Elegant black background for high-contrast markings and easily identified grip locations,
Dials that offer tactile and auditory feedback with every click, and
Textured surfaces on handles and specific points which provide a secure grip and accommodate mechanical and functional needs of the user.

The industrial design project, a first for the company, was led by Exactech’s knee business segment. According to Laurent Angibaud, director of knee and CAS engineering at Exactech, “Merging customer input with solid design principles, our industrial design and technical engineers optimized the function and appearance of new instrumentation to improve user experience, which is core to our surgeon-focused culture. This award demonstrates Exactech’s commitment to developing solutions to address real clinical needs.”

Design Team Surgeon Sudheer Karlakki, FRCS (Orth) at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in the United Kingdom commented: “Truliant provides a harmonious balance of both functional improvements and format enhancements with a color scheme that aligns with the Exactech brand. An important design emphasis was placed on users being able to pick up any instrument and easily get a sense of its important working features. With its ergonomic and intuitive design intentions, surgeons and hospital staff should have an instant connection to the system; that is the real beauty of Truliant.”

Surgical teams across the country have been experiencing the benefits of Truliant through the system’s initial rollout and first cases. According to Tomas Nemickas, MD of Illinois Bone and Joint Institute, “My impression of the new Truliant system is that Exactech has done a fantastic job at fine-tuning a new set of instruments to allow for a more predictable and reproducible outcome. The award is well deserved and demonstrates what I have experienced firsthand with the Truliant Knee System.”

Certified Surgical Technologist Mary Joy Tanada from Stanford University said, “I was unbelievably surprised with the ease of use and simplicity of the Truliant instrumentation. The tools are well balanced in surgeons’ hands and easy to understand. The system is modular and organized into four trays that are all interchangeable based on needs of the case, making it streamlined and efficient for the entire surgical team.”

IDEA is a premier international design competition sponsored annually by the IDSA and judged by renowned design experts from around the world. The 2017 competition attracted hundreds of entries from 54 countries on six continents.

About Exactech

Based in Gainesville, Fla., Exactech develops and markets orthopaedic implant devices, related surgical instruments and biologic materials and services to hospitals and physicians. The company manufactures many of its orthopaedic devices at its Gainesville facility. Exactech’s orthopaedic products are used in the restoration of bones and joints that have deteriorated as a result of injury or diseases such as arthritis. Exactech markets its products in the United States, in addition to more than 30 markets in Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific. Additional information about Exactech can be found at http://www.exac.com.

A current investment profile on Exactech (Nasdaq: EXAC) is available online at http://www.hawkassociates.com/profile/exac.cfm. To receive future releases in e-mail alerts, sign up at http://www.hawkassociates.com/about/alert.

This release contains various forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which represent the company’s expectations or beliefs concerning future events of the company’s financial performance. These forward-looking statements are further qualified by important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These factors include the effect of competitive pricing, the company’s dependence on the ability of third party manufacturers to produce components on a basis which is cost-effective to the company, market acceptance of the company’s products and the effects of government regulation. Results actually achieved may differ materially from expected results included in these statements.

Contacts

Exactech
Investor contacts
Jody Phillips, 352-377-1140
Executive Vice President of Finance & Chief Financial Officer
or
Hawk Associates
Julie Marshall or Frank Hawkins, 305-451-1888
EXAC@hawkassociates.com
or
Exactech
Media contact
Priscilla Bennett, 352-377-1140
Vice President, Corporate & Marketing Communication

Thomas H. Lee, MD, Installed as AOFAS President

Posted On August 18, 2017 By OrthoSpineNews In Extremities, Top Stories /

ROSEMONT, Ill., Aug. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Columbus area orthopaedic surgeon Thomas H. Lee, MD, has been elevated to president of the 2,200-member American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS), the leading organization for lower extremity medicine and foot and ankle surgery. In addition to his role as president, Lee will serve on the Board of Directors of the Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Foundation (The Foundation).

Lee will focus his one-year term on maintaining foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons’ leadership in lower extremity care and on expanding educational and research opportunities to healthcare professionals in the US and internationally.

“The AOFAS represents the very best in orthopaedic surgery when we collaborate to learn, to teach, and to grow,” Lee said. “As healthcare evolves rapidly around us, the AOFAS will remain relevant to our members and responsive to the important issues they face.”

Lee earned his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City and completed his orthopaedic residency at the New York Orthopaedic Hospital at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. He received his fellowship training in foot and ankle orthopaedic surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Lee is a foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon in private practice in Pickerington, Ohio. He is active in humanitarian outreach, having volunteered as a surgeon for the AOFAS Overseas Outreach Project to Vietnam, as well as projects in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Haiti. A longtime member of the AOFAS, he has been a member and chair of numerous committees, served as president of The Foundation, and served for the last four years on the AOFAS Board of Directors.

About Foot and Ankle Orthopaedic Surgeons
Foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons are medical doctors (MD and DO) who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders and injuries of the foot and ankle. Their education and training consists of four years of medical school, five years of postgraduate training, and often a fellowship year of specialized foot and ankle surgical training. Foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons treat patients of all ages, performing reconstructive procedures, treating sports injuries, and managing foot and ankle trauma.

About the AOFAS
As the professional organization of foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons, the AOFAS promotes quality, ethical, and cost-effective patient care through education, research, and training of orthopaedic surgeons and other healthcare providers. The Society creates public awareness for the prevention and treatment of foot and ankle disorders and serves as a resource for government and industry as well as the national and international healthcare communities. For more information, visit www.aofas.org.

SOURCE American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society

Paxeon Reconstruction Successfully Launches 135º Collared High Offset HA Hip Stem

Posted On August 18, 2017 By OrthoSpineNews In Recon, Top Stories /

Paxeon Reconstruction, a manufacturer of best-in-class orthopedic products including derivative and emerging products, announces that has successfully launched its High Offset (135º) Collared Origin HA Coated THA Stem.

Paxeon Reconstruction now offers the following options in it’s Origin HA THA Stem – 135º Standard Collared and Collarless, 135º High Offset Collared and Collarless, 125º Coxa Vara Collared – giving Paxeon Reconstruction 5 options (3 Collared, 2 Collarless) on its Origin Hip System.

“The goal in hip replacement is to restore the prediseased biomechanics of the hip. Paxeon has released a lateralized collared stem which gives the surgeon an option to restore the native offset without lateralizing the center of rotation of the hip. Paxeon has been very receptive in meeting the surgeons needs as demonstrated by bringing the lateralized collared stem to market” said Dr. Brian Rosenberg.

Kyle Sineath, President of Paxeon Reconstruction said: “The addition of a 135º Collared High Offset to our already proven hip implants is exciting for Paxeon. We strive to provide a complete portfolio for our successful Value Solutions Program to extend savings throughout the total joint continuum of care.”

“I am very pleased that Paxeon Reconstruction has addressed a specific need in total hip arthroplasty by producing the first truly collared lateral offset stem with impaction broaching technique using their Origin hip stem. This new stem allows flexibility in hip arthroplasty that was previous unavailable in any stem using impaction broaching technique. It allows surgeons to adjust offset without changing neck angles or leg length so that we can better match the patient’s normal anatomy. This is just another example of Paxeon Reconstruction responding to surgeon needs in leading the way in total joint reconstruction innovation” said Dr. Kevin Pugh.

About Paxeon Reconstruction

Paxeon Reconstruction builds best-in-class orthopaedic products, including derivative and emerging products. We collaborate with hospitals, health systems and physicians to create alignment and utilization of value-based solutions combined with efficiency models for today’s changing healthcare environment. Paxeon Reconstruction offer the world’s most comprehensive portfolio of orthopaedic products and services for joint reconstruction. Paxeon Reconstruction has a celebrated clinical history, and has evolved to meet the needs of the changing orthopaedics marketplace. The history that weaves the fabric of the Paxeon Reconstruction is one that is rich with innovation and demonstrates sustained leadership in an ever-changing landscape of patient and professional needs.

Medovex Corporation Names Charlie Farrahar Chief Financial Officer

Posted On August 17, 2017 By OrthoSpineNews In Spine, Top Stories /

ATLANTA, GA–(Marketwired – Aug 17, 2017) – Medovex Corp. (NASDAQ: MDVX) (“Medovex” or the “Company”), the developer of the DenerveX™ System, a new and novel device designed for enduring relief of Facet Joint Syndrome related to back pain, today reported it has named Charlie Farrahar as its Chief Financial Officer.

Charlie Farrahar is a Certified Public Accountant with over 30 years of managerial finance, administration, human resource and risk management experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Mr. Farrahar was the first Chief Financial officer of the Company from its inception through IPO. He remained with the Company as its Secretary only from January 2015 until August 2017, when he agreed to resume the CFO role.

Mr. Farrahar currently serves as Chief Financial Officer for several small private biotech companies in the research and development stage. In 2003 he joined a private governmental assistance startup as it’s CFO and Director of Human Resources, helping with the sale of that company to a private entity in 2011 after it had grown to a multi-state operation with over 400 employees. In the late 1990’s he was CFO of Credit Depot Corp. (Nasdaq).

At its August 16, 2017 quarterly Board meeting, the Board asked Charlie Farrahar, Company Secretary, to become Chief Financial Officer, a role he held from the inception of the Company through its initial public offering. Jeffery Wright, the former CFO, agreed to become the Company’s first Controller.

Jarrett Gorlin, Medovex Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We’re excited by the enthusiastic reception we’ve seen thus far to the Denervex product and realize that we have to properly support sustained revenue growth. One area affected by this growth is the financial/accounting function. With the addition of overseas sales and all the administration that entails, we were no longer able to have just one full-time person in the finance area.”

Gorlin continued, “We asked Charlie Farrahar to become CFO so Jeff Wright could focus on assisting our sales and distribution efforts as we expand sales into multiple countries. They have complementary skill sets and work well together. Their combined experience should allow us to properly steward anticipated growth associated with the launch of a successful new product targeting a broad audience.”

The Company’s DenerveX System recently received CE Mark approval and clearance for commercialization in the European countries and offers a unique way to perform a Facet Joint Syndrome treatment.

The DenerveX System consists of the DenerveX Kit which contains the DenerveX Device, a single use medical device and the DenerveX Pro-40 Power Generator. DenerveX system is not yet FDA cleared.

CONTACT INFORMATION

CONTACT INFORMATION
Medovex Corp.
Jason Assad
470-505-9905
Email Contact

Magnetic Fields to Destroy Bacteria on Artificial Joints

Posted On August 17, 2017 By OrthoSpineNews In Recon, Top Stories /

CONN HASTINGS, MedGadget / August 9th, 2017

Scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have developed a new technique using high-frequency alternating magnetic fields to heat artificial joints in the body and destroy bacterial films on their surfaces.

Bacterial infections on artificial joints used in knee and hip replacements are a common and serious complication. The bacteria tend to form slimy films on the metal surfaces of the joints called biofilms, and they are difficult to treat using antibiotics.

Dr. David Greenberg, of UT Southwestern Medical Center, describes the solution the researchers developed. “We were looking for better ways to target and treat biofilms,” he says. “Our idea was to put a coil around the joint and run a current through it to create alternating magnetic fields. Human tissue isn’t conductive but metal is, so only the implant would heat up.” The principle is the same as that in induction cooktops, which use magnetic fields to heat metal pots for cooking.

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