SurGenTec has been issued device and method patent No. 9,668,881 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for its graft loading technology to post-fill implant cages. The Graftgun is a universal graft delivery system that allows surgeons to use the bone graft of their choice. The device permits minimally invasive delivery of bone graft material into bone voids, disc spaces, cages, and implants. Once the implant has been positioned and the inserter is removed, the device can be connected to post-fill a variety of implants. The Graftgun kit will include a universal loading device which enables surgeons to load allograft, autograft, or synthetic biologics into the gun’s delivery tube and dispense it to an orthopedic site.
 
“We now have intellectual property that protects our ability to post-fill cages in situ,” said Travis Greenhalgh, CEO of SurGenTec. “One of the challenges when using expandable or monolithic cages is the ability to post-fill them once inserted into the disc space. The traditional way to post-fill a cage is to use a funnel or an elongated syringe. Most types of bone graft require significant force to extrude the material into the aperture of a cage. Our ratcheting technology provides users the force needed to extrude an array of bone graft materials, while maintaining superior control of the amount of graft that enters the cage and disc space. A concern with expandable cages is the ability to pack the implant with enough bone graft to provide maximum endplate contact. If there is a void between the bone graft and endplate there may be a higher risk of non-unions. The Graftgun ratcheting technology can help ensure the void is filled."
 
SurGenTec has the capacity to customize the Graftgun so that it can be paired with nearly any cage on the market without requiring changes to their instruments. This will allow implant manufacturers seamless access to the Graftgun’s innovative technology, and the ability to offer an advantageous graft delivery solution to their end users. With the expandable cage market growing, this should be a viable option to optimize graft volume within a variety of implants.
 
SurGenTec looks forward to becoming the leader in bone graft delivery technologies, and has allocated a considerable amount of resources to ensure that they are on the forefront of this sector of orthopedic and spine surgery.
 
SurGenTec is a privately owned medical device company based out of Boca Raton, Fla. They are focused on developing minimally invasive surgical technologies to help surgeons provide optimal care for their patients. SurGenTec anticipates the Graftgun to be released this summer.