AO Podiatric Masters Course: Vegas 7.21

There are still spots available for the AO Minimally Invasive Osteosynthesis Surgery cadaver workshop this upcoming July 21-23 in Las Vegas, NV. The course will focus on the most contemporary approaches, techniques and management principles for complex foot and ankle conditions and injuries. The forum will include lectures as well as hands-on cadaver and sawbone labs, to practice minimally invasive osteosynthesis surgery.  The course is worth 16.75 CME hours and cost $1500. You can read more about the course and register here.  

Orthohelix Mini Variable Angle Locking Screw

OrthoHelix Surgical Designs, Inc. continues to offer new options for locking screw fixation. According to thier website, OrthoHelix has received FDA clearance to market the new mini variable angle locking screw option.

The Tribrid™ Technology utilized by the Mini MaxLock Extreme^® plates, accommodates fixed angle locking, non-locking, and mini variable angle locking screws. This enables surgeons all three screw options in one set and allows them to decide intraoperatively which screw option is best fitted for the patient. In comparison to other variable angle locking systems, the Tribrid™ design does not compromise the strength of any of the locking holes. Read the full article here.

Three-day External Fixation Course

The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons currently has online registration availble for their three-day external fixation course for the foot and ankle. The course will cover both monolateral and ring fixation frame construction and techniques. This years course will be held in Scottsdale, AZ over the weekend of October 28-30. You can register online here. 

The three-day course, which is sponsored by Orthofix, covers topics ranging from callus distraction to complex fracture and entails both lectures and sawbone workshops. The current faculty, per the ACFAS website include the following: 

    Byron L. Hutchinson, DPM, FACFAS, Co-Chair 

    Paul D. Dayton, DPM, FACFAS, Co-Chair 

    Paul S. Bishop, DPM, FACFAS 

    Joseph R. Disabato, DPM, FACFAS

    Daniel J. Hatch, DPM, FACFAS 

    Robert W. Mendicino, DPM, FACFAS 

    James L. Thomas, DPM, FACFAS

New Arthrex Cannulated Sets

As found on the Arthrex home page, Arthrex is now offering complete 2.0-6.7 mm cannulated screw sets. 

With the recent preferred launch of the 2.0, 2.4, 3.0, and 4.0 mm cannulated screws, Arthrex now offers a complete set of cannulated screws from 2.0-6.7 mm for many types of bone fractures and reconstruction. Arthrex will be releasing 100 more sets (AR-8737S) of 2.0, 2.4, 3.0 and 4.0 mm screws at the end of June.

For more information visit www.arthrex.com or www.footandanklefixation.com

MMI Anchorage CP MPJ and Lapidus Plates Video

If you are interested in checking out a closer look at the MMI Anchorage CP Plates for MPJ and Lapidus Arthrodesis, there is about a 5 minute video over at PodiatryLive.com that demonstrates the in's and the out's of the new plates. As previously mentioned in this blog, the new CP plates are a new version of locking plates in that they incorporate an interfragmental compression screw directly in the plate. Pretty cool stuff.

New Extremity Medical Videos Now Online

Extremity Medical has posted another new video on their fixation products. In addition to their previous videos posted on YouTube, they now have a technique video of their IO Fix implant available for viewing. You can see it below as well as on the IO Fix product page.

Posteromedial Anatomical Plate for Distal Tibial Fractures

The guys over at OrthoSuperSite have posted a new article out of China showing thier results with a posteromedial approach to distal tibial fracutres when presented with compromised soft tissue over the anterior ankle.

*** Spoiler Alert *** The physicains concluded that a posteromedial anatomical plate for treatment of distal tibial fractures with anterior soft tissue injury was effective and resulted in no serious complications. This regimen can fix fractures well while protecting local blood supply and is the preferred treatment for such injuries.

Stryker to Acquire Memometal Technologies (MMI)

As reported on www.ryortho.com, Stryker has announced an agreement to acquire France-based extremity product developer, Memometal Technologies (MMI)  for $150 million in cash, with up to an additional $12 million in milestone payments. This merger follows in the heels of the Synthes and Depuy merger just over a month ago; the second major merger to affect foot and ankle surgeons. 


This merger was probably only a matter of time for MMI, as they have shown significant advances in the foot and ankle device market. With the success of thier nitinol products (see MMI: Smart Toe Intramedullary Shape Memory Implant), and the recent release of their 2nd generation locking plating system (see MMI: Anchorage Plating System: MTP CP Plate), MMI has shown continued ingenuity in the development of foot and ankle implants


You can see all of the Memometal Technologies (MMI) foot and ankle implants at www.footandanklefixation.com

Extremity Medical Release Additional Technique Guides

Extremity Medical has updated their homepage with two new technique guides for their IO Fix Screw implant. The technique guides focus on using the IO Fix Implant when performing Talonavicular Joint Arthrodesis and Ankle Joint Arthrodesis. The implant can be used in a wide range of foot and ankle procedures from the ankle down to the 1st MPJ. Read more about the Extremity Medical IO FIX here.

Trimed Debuts New Website

You can now log on to the newly designed website for Trimed at www.trimedortho.com.

A nice addition to this version of their website is the access to more product information, including tecnhique guides and videos. Their main foot and ankle implants include their ankle fracture products including the Trimed Hook Plate, the Trimed Sidewinder Plate, and the Trimed Medial Malleolar Sled.

Trimed's Hook Plate

New Acumed Calcaneal Plates Online

In addition to their standard locking calcaneal plate, Acumed has put online thier new options for calcaneal fractures. You can visit their website directly to see the new plates as well as they can be seen individually at www.footandanklefixation.com under the calcaneal fracture page.

The new plating options, MINI-Calc (Minimally Invasive Calcaneal Plates), include three new plates based on calcaneal fracture patterns. Now inluded in the Acumed Calcaneal Plating System are the Acumed Anterior Process Calcaneal Plate, the Acumed Posterior Tuberosity Calcaneal Plate, and the Acumed Combo Calcaneal Plate. The new plates are designed not only for specific calcaneal fracture patterns but also to help facilitate a minimally invasive incision technique, thus helping to decrease wound and healing complications.