From AAOS: Wright Medical Showcases Foot and Ankle Solutions

Most companies use the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) Annual Meeting to display their wares. Some strategically time new product releases or U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals to coincide with the event.

And a select few do both.

Wright Medical Group Inc. was one of the rare double-dippers at this year’s meeting, taking place March 24-28 in Las Vegas, Nev. The company kicked off the five-day show by announcing FDA approval of its Salvation External Fixation system, a product designed to address fractures, nonunions, and complex foot and ankle deformities including Charcot neuroarthropathy. Wright claims the system uses tensioned thin wires, half-pins, and rings to accomplish its goals, and incorporates various new features to help surgeons with proper frame positioning and increase frame application efficiency. The slotted ring design allows for frame components to be attached quickly and easily, while minimizing the need to assemble small, threaded components together, the company noted in a news release.

The Salvation system includes components to assist in positioning the foot and lower leg within the frame and maintain an appropriate position throughout the surgery. In addition, the wire guide allows for precise placement of the wire on the ring to minimize the need for additional connection components and decrease additional surgical steps. The Salvation External Fixation System may be used for definitive treatment as the sole fixation device, or used in conjunction with the Salvation beams and bolts or the Salvation 3Di Midfoot Plating system.

The Salvation External Fixation system is the latest addition to Wright’s Salvation Limb Salvage product portfolio, which includes the Salvation Beaming system and the Salvation 3Di Plating system. The portfolio is designed to address fractures, nonunions and complex foot and ankle deformities and is specifically indicated for neuropathic osteoarthropathy treatment (commonly referred to as Charcot foot), a deformity (most commonly mid-foot collapse) that results from nerve damage in the foot or ankle.

Wright expects to initiate limited physician testing of the Salvation External Fixation system to collect market assessment data in the second quarter of 2015.

The latest Salvation product was noticeably absent from Wright’s grandiose exhibit booth, but there was still plenty of innovations to behold, including: 

• Infinity Total Ankle Replacement (TAR) System: The product’s lower profile design and straightforward surgical approach can expand access to less complicated primary cases.
• Inbone II TAR System: Several product line extensions for the Inbone II TAR system are being featured, including the availability of a smaller size talar dome to address patients with small anatomy who would benefit from a smaller talar dome option as well as a revision poly insert and uncoated tibia stems to provide surgeons with more options.
• Prophecy Pre-Operative Navigation Alignment guides: Designed for use with the company’s Infinity and Inbone TAR Systems, the Prophecy Alignment technology uses computed tomography scans to create patient-specific ankle alignment guides that facilitate the surgeons’ ability to precisely size, place and align the Infinity and Inbone TAR components during surgery.
• Ortholoc 3Di Flatfoot Plates: Designed to increase the speed and accuracy of complex flatfoot procedures, the Ortholoc 3Di flatfoot system is a flatfoot osteotomy solution that features 3Di medial displacement calcaneal osteotomy plating technology.

“The Infinity ankle’s lower profile design and straightforward surgical approach expands our access to less complicated primary cases and continues to be an important catalyst in the ongoing market conversion from fusion procedures to total ankle replacement,” Wright President/CEO Robert Palmisano said. “In addition, we have a future opportunity to address advanced reconstructive, limb salvage, and Charcot cases with our Salvation product portfolio. Despite the large and growing population at high-risk of peripheral neuropathies, the Charcot market remains underserved in terms of a comprehensive solution. We are looking forward to collecting initial physician testing and market assessment data for our Salvation product portfolio in preparation for a future product launch.”

Wright Medical Group is exhibiting at booth 3425 during the show.