New Product: Disco Subtalar Implant

Trilliant Surgical has updated their website with information about their latest foot and ankle product, The Disco Subatalar Implant. FootandAnkleFixation.com has added the new device to the Subtalar Joint Impant / Arthroeriesis page which outlines all of the current available Subtalar Joint implants.

This new titanium implant allows for decreased lateral pressure points with the spherical shape as well as it is designed to integrate quicker into the surrounding tissue by way of the (up to) 75 micro channels embedded into the implant. Trilliant Surgical now has 5 different foot and ankle products available for use in the United States. Take a look at their other products here on the Trilliant Surgical Product Page. 

Stay informed. FootandAnkleFixation.com

Foot & Ankle Fixation Podcast

The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) has a database of monthly podcasts in which they feature specific content from their corresponding monthly journal articles. They have a database spanning back to 2007. But don't worry, FootandAnkleFixation.com has done the leg work for you (no pun intended) and organized the relevant foot and ankle fixation podcasts. Take a look below and we will continue to bring attention to helpful tools for your daily surgical foot and ankle practice.

JBJS October 2011: Changes in Gait Following the Scandinavian Total Ankle Replacement

JBJS May 2011: A Randomized Trial in Open Tibial Fractures Treated with Reamed Nail Fixation; recorded commentary by Dr. Bhattacharyya

JBJS May 2011: Treatment of Displaced Intra-Articular Calcaneal Fractures with Closed Reduction and Percutaneous Screw Fixation

JBJS April 2010: Maintenance of Hardware After Early Postoperative Infection Following Fracture Internal Fixation

JBJS February 2010: Cartilage Lesions and the Development of Osteoarthritis After Internal Fixation of Ankle Fractures - A Prospective Study

New Company: Internal Fixation Systems

FootandAnkleFixation.com has added another medical device company to their authoritative database: Internal Fixation Systems.

Internal Fixation Systems (IFS) is a new manufacturer of orthopedic and podiatric implants who seek to provide superior products at a lower cost (40-60% lower in some cases). Speaking with Ken West, one of the original founders of IFS and current VP of Sales & Marketing, IFS offers foot and ankle implants that are equipped to manage any type of fracture including basic fragment and cannulated sets. Additionally, they are in the process of developing a complete line of foot and ankle plates & implants for non-traumatic procedures. In fact, Internal Fixation Systems recently announced their 510(K) FDA clearance for a new Subtalar Joint Implant /Arthroereisis. Stay tuned as we will have more information about their upcoming products in the near future, including specific product images and descriptions.

Brachymet: The Wright Medical Way

Brachymetatarsia typically presents multiple challenges to the surgeon. These may include the overall lack of width to the metatarsal, a shorted proximal phalanx in addition to the short metatarsal and, in some cases, multiple short metatarsals. Once it is decided to proceed with callus distraction, there are many options to from which to choose (see all current options).

Above is the Wright Medical Coretrak Tube Fixator in action. This mini external fixator is a little more bulky than some of the other fixators on the market and can be a little overwhelming to the patient at the first post-operative dressing change (then again, most external fixators have that affect on patients). The robust nature to this construct, however, offers stability and patient friendly manipulations. There are no small parts that require assembly and the guide holes within the fixator aids the surgeon for insertion of the fixator post. If you haven't yet given this mini fixator a try, consider it on your next brachymetatarsia case.

The IoFix Experiment: Follow Up

Just a quick follow up from our previous blog on the Extremity Medical IoFix Implant and our first opportunity using the new implant. A few weeks ago, we wrote about our experience with the implant, The IoFix Experiment, and how satisfied we were with the bone purchase of the post and screws. In our patient with significant osteopenia, a 4-hole locking plate failed to stabilize the bone on her opposite foot. We chose to try this implant because of its inherent stability and the need for only two holes created in the bone rather than 4 with the plate. The idea of compressing the screw heads against the intramedullary post instead of applying it directly against the cortex of the bone is a no brainer.

4 weeks post-op, (at right) the patient is well consolidated with no pain on palpation or manipulation. The radiographs demonstrate good alignment of the arthrodesis site, no fixation failure or changes and signs of trabeculation across the fusion site.

We will slowly begin to progress to weightbearing over the next few weeks, (erring on the side of caution) although it appears clinically that she is now ready to start partial weightbearing. Using the IoFix implant was a nice change of pace from the standard fixes and in this case, has proven a good option to have in your bag of tricks. Inserting the implant does require a few extra steps than the standard screw, particularly involving the post insertion. Prepare for your Iofix case by watching (and perfecting) the insertion sequence here in The Fixation Network. Stay tuned for long term follow up.

Foot & Ankle Estimates at $176.9 million

A recent article by BioMedGPS projects that the US market for foot and ankle fixation products will reach an estimated $176.9 million in 2012. They also expect the market to grow at a rate of 9% over the next few years, with estimations as high as $251 million by 2016.

“The market for foot and ankle implants is expanding as acceptance of surgical solutions for treating pain and deformity in this area of the body increases,”

- Lisa Mahan, Senior Analyst SmartTRAK Extremities and Total Joints modules at BioMedGPS.

These estimations reinforce the notion that foot and ankle surgery has drawn the focus of medical device manufacturers as we continued to see both new products and companies enter the market in 2011. As the foot and ankle market continues to grow, FootandAnkleFixation.com will be right there bringing surgeons the information they need to stay informed. Unbiased & Authoritative.

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.