Year in Review: Fixation 2011

2011 was a year of mergers & acquisitions ultimately making the most headlines in the world of foot and ankle fixation news. This all started with the monster mega merger between Depuy Orthopedics and Synthes back in April. Before the dust even had a chance to settle, the acquisition of MMI by Stryker and then Ascension Orthopedics by Integra LifeSciences made headlines. Zimmer made a splash by acquiring the external fixation line ExtraOrtho and finally Wright Medical also joined in the fun by agreeing to carry ArthroCare's Opus Knotless suture fixation technology. The acquisition of these new technologies and expansion of the product lines certainly has influenced the playing field among the "Big" companies who are vying for the majority of the Foot & Ankle market share. Only time will tell who the winners and losers are by how the market responds to these changes and particularly where surgeon loyalty falls.

In light of last years chess match between some of the largest medical device companies, out of the ashes came a handful of new companies and product lines…

For starters, Arrowhead Medical Device Technologies brought forth the Arrow-Lok hammertoe implant. This implant eliminates the need for external k-wire fixation nor does it need any form of temperature control prior to or after insertion of the implant. The company is currently in the process of developing their next foot and ankle implant. Other companies new to the foot and ankle market include Solana Surgical, whose focus in currently on 1st MPJ implants; Nextremity Solutions, who is in the process of bringing forth the Nextra Hammertoe Correction System, and Paragon 28, who will be offering a complete line of forefoot, midfoot and hindfoot plates.

Some of the new products to hit the market this past year introduced traditional concepts with a new twist. The Stryker (formerly MMI) Anchorage CP Plate was the first plate of it's kind, allowing surgeons

the ability to introduce an interfragmental compression screw actually through a dedicated screw hole. The new plates were specifically designed for a 1st MPJ Arthrodesis and Lapidus Arthrodesis. The Arrow-Lok implant previously mentioned takes the traditional buried k-wire fixation concept and augments it with the added benefit of greater pullout strength from the double-ended arrow tips. Other new products to highlight the year include the Pro-Toe VO

& Inbone II Total Ankle Replacement by Wright Medical, the BME Speed, the Integra U-Shaped Plate, and the Arthrosurface HemiCap Talar Resurfacing Implant (which at this time is still not yet available for use in the U.S.) As new products hit the open market, there was a trend in that Ankle Implants and Hammertoe Implants were definitely the hottest fixation of 2011

Probably the most exciting news though of 2011 for foot and ankle surgeons was the inaugural year of FootandAnkleFixation.com! No longer will surgeons have no place to look for updated and relevant foot and ankle surgery information for your daily practice and patients. Too many other orthopedic websites focus on the corporate aspect of medical device information, where our information is dedicated to the driving force behind it all, the actual fixation devices and how it relates to the surgeon's practice. By surgeons, for surgeons.

So what's on the horizon for 2012? Stay tuned to FootandAnkleFixation.com to keep up with the latest unbiased foot and ankle fixation news.